


Journey to freedom

by MGstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Smut, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-03-08 06:50:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 294,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13452798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MGstars/pseuds/MGstars
Summary: What if Cora never created a barrier to stop Regina from escaping her wedding to Leopold in 202 ? What if young Regina managed to run away and crossed paths with a young band of outlaws, not yet known as the Merry Men ? At this point, she's never met Rumplestiltskin, never sent her mother to Wonderland, never experienced magic. What would her life be like ?





	1. Love again : Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay... I'm sharing my baby here, my favorite fic that is almost finished, but since I'm transferring my work from fanfiction.net, it will take me time to move everything here. You can find the story there if you want to read more chapters. 
> 
> Here, I'm also changing the end of a scene from the show, so basically, I'm rewriting the whole story. What we know of the show after that scene where Regina tries to escape her wedding in 202 has never happened, but people will meet, fate is fate after all. Be patient, everything will make sense. The first eight chapters are focused on Regina and Robin, but then... Well, you'll see...
> 
> Anyway, do not hesitate to tell me what you think !

_She climbs slowly towards the top of the hill, her eyes focused on the simple gray stone and what she can already read on it, his name._ His _name._ Daniel _. Just seeing it brings back a flow of memories, and she has to force herself not to stop, to put one foot in front of the other, to keep walking until she's standing in front of his grave, tears in the corner of her eyes._

_"Hello, Daniel. I'm sorry it took me so long to come visit you. So many things have happened since your death._

_I missed you so much. I still do. But I changed. I survived. And I found a new reason to live. It took me a long time to let you go, but I finally found love again._

_Oh you would've loved him, I'm sure ! He helped me overcome your death. He was ready to start a relationship before me, I think, but I loved you too much, and I was so afraid, that I pushed him away repeatedly."_

_Regina chuckles, shakes her head, and sits on the grass, her fingers brushing the soft ground in which her former lover is burried. "I'm not making any sense, I'm sorry. Let me tell you what happened. It might take a while, so you better be ready. I will tell as much as I know, as much as I learned over the years, as much as they were willing to tell me. It's not just my story, it's the one of a family, of friends who were doing everything together and were ready to die for one another. They were facing every ordeal as a team, and no matter how high the cost was, they never gave up." She takes a deep breath, focuses, remembers._

_"It all started 5 years ago. After my mother killed you, I had no other choice but to accept the King's proposal, so I joined his castle. The wedding was supposed to happen two days later. But I couldn't. I couldn't marry him, Daniel._

_So I ran away..."_

* * *

* * *

5 years earlier

The air whips her face as she rides as fast as she can. She can't stay there. She can't get married. Well, not to the King. She won't. The only way out is to run, and that's why she's currently riding Rocinante and guiding them both to the freedom they were deprived from.

The fear twists her guts as she spots the castle's lands' limit. If she crosses it, she'll be out of their reach. She will ride as far away as possible, will leave this kingdom, this life, this nightmare, and start a new one, where no one knows her, where no one will force her to do what she doesn't want to do.

She thought about it all night, tried to fight the fear and sorrow and do as she's been told, but it was too hard. So she waited, waited until dawn and carefully slipped out of her room, bringing nothing with her but the clothes she was wearing. She didn't want anything to remind her of what her life was supposed to become in two days.

She's not sure how the kingdom will react. She's not the Queen yet, but she's supposed to have accepted a wedding to the King. If it's not considered treason, it's something within that line, and they will have every right to come after her.

 _They will_ , she thinks. At least, her mother will.

Cora will never let her free. She will force this marriage upon her daughter by any way possible, no excuses, and she proved it already. That's why Regina won't stop until she's put as much distance between the King's lands and herself as she can. Because she has a gut feeling, and countless of experiences, that Cora won't be thrilled about her running away and will try to bring her back, no matter what the King decides.

And honestly, after Daniel's murder, she doesn't trust her mother anymore. She doesn't trust her enough to let her live if they find her and the King refuses her.

Daniel... They could've had a beautiful life together. They'd have been happy, so happy, and in love. Leaving his body behind is breaking her heart, but unfortunately, she can't bring him with her. She needs to flee so far away that she'll be out of her mother's reach. Her heart squeezes as she thinks about who she's giving up. Daniel. Her father. Her mother. Despite everything, she loves her. She's angry with her, like she's never been before, but she's still her mother, and Regina always craved to receive the love Cora denied her. She knows the only way to win her mother's approval is to marry the King, but it's too much, it's not what she wants, it's not what she  _needs_. The thought of it itself makes her sick, she's barely been able to eat or sleep lately.

Not to mention his insufferable daughter...

She trusted her, and that trust led to the death of the man she  _loves_. She knows that if she doesn't cross the line, if she stays there, she will lose herself. This life will slowly destroy every bit of the cheerful girl she was until there will be nothing left but anger, resentment and bitterness.

And she doesn't want that. She doesn't want to be like her mother. She doesn't want to be her mother's dream. She wants to be her own dream. She wants a life of her own. A life in which she can chose.

And she's not a fool. She knows this life will be one of a loner, hiding and running and escaping.

An outcast.

A criminal.

But even this prospect is better than living in a golden prison with constant reminders of what she lost and will never have dancing in front of her eyes every second of every day. Even a bed made of straw is more appealing than the soft mattress and luxury she slept in for the last two nights.

So she made her choice.

 _Freedom_.

Freedom is what she wants, and she will do everything in her power to have it and never lose it.

Seeing the frontier close, she focuses back on the road, looks behind her one last time, orders her horse to speed up, praying that nothing will come in her way.

"Come on, Rocinante ! Go ! We're almost free," she encourages in a hopeful but trembling voice.

She closes her eyes for one second, dreading to be yanked back into the King's land, but when she opens them again, she hasn't.

She's still on her horse, she's still riding towards her freedom. A smiles lights up her face, though the apprehension and fear have not left her yet. It's too soon, but it's better, it's good, she did it, she escaped.

She keeps riding, doesn't stop, until she's breathless, and tired, and sore, as well as Rocinante. She pulls on the reins, feels her gielding relax under her as she slows down his pace, then stops. Wincing, Regina dismounts the horse, leads him deeper in the forest, away from the path, hidden from people's line of view. It won't be long before carriages and crowd start to fill the roads. And she can't risk to be spotted. A woman riding alone would for sure raise questions, plus they might already be after her. She's been lucky not to cross paths with anyone until now.

She has no idea where she is, doesn't know anything of the forest, but she feels safer than she has since Daniel died.

She walks slowly, Rocinante on her heels, admiring the beauty of the place around her. She's under the protection of the trees, the thick leaves and branches making it almost impossible to see the sky. The temperature is good, so she closes her eyes for a second as a soft breeze caresses her face, letting the fresh scent of pine and nature invade her senses.

A sudden laugh takes over her, and she lets it, savors it, revels in the feeling of having that sparkle of hope and happiness back, even if it's tainted with grief. She bends in half, letting it all out, steadies herself by leaning against a tree, and slides against it, sitting on the roots. Her head falls back against the trunk, and when the laugh runs dry, she opens her eyes, and breathes.

For the first time in days, she breathes.

xxx

It's been two days. She's been wandering in the forest, alone, for two whole days. She never imagined it to be so deep, so immense, so frightening. Without the protection of a carriage, every sound, every movement, every shadow appears to be a threat. She's jumping less often than she was at the beginning, but she still doesn't manage to close her eyes more than a few minutes in a row during the nights. After the amazement and the relief of the first hours, Regina started to realize how dangerous her expedition was. But she won't go back! She may be scared and tired, but she's free. And  _that_ , is worth all the dangers she can't see but imagines are waiting for her.

She feels the exhaustion in her body, the strain in her muscles, the headache pounding from lack of sleep, lack of rest and food. She hasn't stopped since she left, except during the nights, when it was so dark she couldn't see what was in front of her. She doesn't know how far from the King's land she is, but she hopes she's at least past the boundaries of his kingdom. She knows this forest is cut in half between Kings Leopold and Georges' territories. But since she left, the trees are all the same, the sky is still of a light shining blue, the birds are singing the same songs. She's not stupid enough to think it would change with the owner, but she is in a desperate need to find a a sign, something, that will tell her she made some progress in her journey.

Regina brings a hand to her stomach as she feels it twisting with hunger. She was in such a hurry to flee that she didn't bring more than some water and leftovers from her last meal at the castle -and there is nothing left-. She thought she would find a village quickly, but she must have gotten lost at some point, because she hasn't met a living soul neither found her way back to the main road since she left it.

Rocinante is slower too. Though her horse had more than her to eat, they've been walking for hours, and even if Regina is now walking by his side instead of mounting him, she can feel the exhaustion in the animal's strong muscles. She stops for a second, pats his collar, stroking his side, whispering gently that everything will be alright, that  _they_  will be alright.

She doesn't pay attention to her surroundings for a second, and it's only when Rocinante stiffens and lets out a warning neighing that Regina realizes something has caught his eyes.

She turns her head slowly, trying to spot what startled the horse, who's now silent by her side, though still rigid and on his guard, but everything seems quiet. She looks back at Rocinante, ready to lead him forward again, when she finally hears it.

But it's too late.

She barely has time to turn around before she's surrounded by men, aiming crossbows and bows at her. She scoots closer to Rocinante, clutching at his rein, fighting her best not to show how scared she's in the inside.

She takes a look at the men. Well,  _young_  men, for they may be from different ages but barely older than her.

There's three of them. A well-weighted one, with a soft round and chubby face despite the threatening look he tries to put on, and curly brown hairs. A thinner one, but the muscles hidden under his clothes are giving him quite the body, and his blond golden hair shines with the rays of sun filtering through the trees. The last one has squared shoulders and a small beard matching his dark short hair, and is clearly older than the others.

"Who are you?" Regina asks in a voice she wishes would be steadier.

"What are you doing here?" one of the men asks back.

She stares at him, doesn't know what to answer. She doesn't look away, doesn't take the risk, not even when Rocinante gives her a gentle nudge on the shoulder. She grabs his head and starts stroking it to give herself some composture.

"That is none of your business!" she says defiantly, head high, spine straight.

"You're in our forest, so it is our business." the curly brown-haired man answers.

 _"Your_  forest?"

Regina can't help the surprise to pierce in her voice.  _They own this place?_  she wonders.

"Sherwood forest. That's where we live, and you, madam, are trespassing."

Sherwood? So she is quite far from the King's land, but not as far as she thought. She has entered King Georges's kingdom, but she's not sure it's enough. She needs to go further, to keep walking.

The men are still eyeing her curiously, and she wonders why they're living here, in the middle of a forest, why they're aiming weapons at her. But she doesn't have to know, she thinks, just need to find a trail again, and they seem to know the place, maybe they can help.

"I just want to reach the next kingdom," she finally admits, and it's not quite the truth, but not totally a lie. "Could you help me?" she tries softly.

They look at each other, obviously not expecting her to ask for their help. The blond man cocks his head and turns to her.

"For a good price."

"A price?" she draws the words, her grip on Rocinante tightening, not sure if she wants to find out what it is exactly that three men living in a forest would want from a lonely young woman.

"Your gold!" answers the brown-haired man.

"My gold?" she repeats dubiously. "I don't have any gold."

They seem to hesitate for a second, but the same who addressed her before speaks again "You're dressed like a noble. You surely have something hidden in your saddle."

Regina huffs in annoyance, rolls her eyes. When will people stop having prejudices on nobles?

"And I'm walking instead of riding. I'm alone. I don't have a carriage, I am probably miles away from the main road, and if you would pay more attention, I'm half covered in mud." she speaks out loud, gesturing towards her boots and the bottom of her trouser. "Do I look like a noble carrying gold to you?"

The fat man facing her is the only one with his weapon still aimed at her now, and he only hesitates for a second before putting it down. When he does, Regina relaxes infinitesimaly, letting out a soft breath and holding herself together by stroking her gielding's side.

"Who are you?" one of them asks nicely.

She doesn't want to tell them, she doesn't know them after all, so she just sticks to the simplest truth.

"My name is Regina." she says.

"I'm Tuck." he says reverently. "And those are my friends, Little John and Alan."

She cocks her head towards them as they do the same.

She's about to open her mouth again, ask a second time which direction King Midas' kingdom is -she knows Sherwood is under King Georges's guidance, but his kingdom still shares a border wit Leopold's, and she doesn't want that-, when a breeze passes between them, making her suddenly hug herself, shivering slightly. It doesn't go unnoticed by the three men.

"You're cold." Alan states.

"No!" she hurries, refusing to show any kind of weakness in front of them. "No." she says again, softly this time. "I'm fine."

"What are you doing here alone?" John asks. "It's dangerous for a woman to venture in here by herself. The woods are unpredictable if you don't know them. You could get lost."

She eyes him without a word, uncertainty showing in her eyes. He's right. He's totally right. And she is lost. But she never thought of that. She only wanted to run away, escape the misery that would have been her life. Escape the unhappy marriage she should be attending this very day. But she can't tell them that. She can't tell them who she really is, who she should be becoming right now.

"I..." she tries, but nothing comes out. She realizes she indeed is cold when Tuck walks closer and wraps his cape around her shoulders, and she closes her eyes in content at the warmth spreading from the thick fabric into her body.

"Come on, Regina! We have a camp not far from here. You can find a shelter for the night, a fire to warm yourself up, and a good meal." he offers gently, his hand rubbing her back. "You have my word that we won't hurt you."

She shouldn't go with them. She shouldn't trust strangers, least of all strangers who threatened her five minutes ago, but she can't find it in herself to refuse. She hasn't escaped from the palace to die alone in the woods. And there's something about those men... Something she can't quite place. A feeling, a voice, a gut, telling her this meeting might just change everything for her. So she just nods, and follows them, Rocinante obediently walking behind her.

xxx

They stop maybe half an hour later in front of an alley of trees. Regina frowns. To a non attentive eye, it does look like regular trees in the middle of the forest, but now that she is staring at it, she realizes the whole length of those trees from the top to the trunk is covered by branches and leaves so thick she can't see through.

She stops when one of the men -Alan- holds his arm in front of her, halting her walk. He cocks his head and gives her a gentle, but firm look.

"We let you see the path to come here, because we understand you're not feeling comfortable being blind-folded by men you don't know. But you can't see how we access our camp. It's hidden, for our sake. I'm sorry but I'm going to ask you to trust us now."

She hesitates for a second, but looking deeply into his eyes, she sees nothing of malice, only honesty. So she nods wordlessly, notices the sight of relief on his face, turns her back on them and to the tree wall and doesn't protest when he pulls his scarf over her eyes.

She waits in silence as she catches ruffling noises and whistles and she jumps when someone grabs her arm softly to guide her on the right path.

She stumbles on a rock, but whoever is holding her steadies her quickly, preventing her from falling.

She's still blind when she's stopped, but she can hear whispers, and small talk, the voices so low she can't hear the words. It takes a few minutes, and she stays still, silent, waits until someone is removing the scarf and she can finally open her eyes again.

She blinks against the light, and meets Little John's shy smile. She smiles back, but doesn't move, not until she catches someone's form coming towards her and she turns her head slightly to the side to meet two blue piercing eyes staring at her defiantly. She has to force herself to tear her eyes apart from him and look at the hand he holds out for her.

When she tilts her head up again, she takes a few seconds to look at him. Dark blond hair. Dimples. Around his twenties. A small and concerned smile on his lips, and something passes through her as she takes him in fully.

"Hi!" he says, still holding out his hand.

She shakes his hand, smiles shyly, unable to speak.

"Welcome to our camp. I'm Robin."


	2. Love again : Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little information for those of you who haven't read this story on fanfiction.net, because I know it raised some interrogations there during the first chapters.
> 
> The italic parts are actually the present, from where Regina tells her past, while that said past is written normally. I know it might be confusing at first, and maybe it wasn't clear, my bad.
> 
> I let you read, and please, take a minute to review!

* * *

 

5 years earlier

She crouches in front of Rocinante, patting his collar, giving her gelding a soft look and a gentle smile as he sighs in contentment, finally able to rest after having been fed and taken care of.

Regina sits on the floor next to him, finding comfort in just watching her horse, not caring in the least of how dirty she can get.

She's not a queen.

She's not a princess.

She's not a noble.

Not anymore.

Her mother won't be scolding her for sitting on the ground. She's now free to do anything and everything she ever wanted, and right now it means enjoying a moment of peace with her horse.

She thinks back of the rest of the day.

Robin has been defiant. Behind the good looks and nice smile, she could tell he wasn't thrilled to see a stranger, obviously from a good and rich family, being brought to his camp and endangering his group. But she swore she wouldn't talk, wouldn't give their whereabouts to whoever it was they were hiding from.

He introduced himself and his men as thieves, but not rough or dangerous ones. She'll be safe with them, they won't hurt her. He showed her the place, or at least what he thought was necessary to know for a person who was just passing through.

As Regina gazed around, she realized they were surrounded by the thick and high trees she had noticed early on, but a wooden barrier had been built on their lower length, about fifteen feet high, probably to stop any person who would try to walk through the branches. She was standing in a large space, a clearing of some sort, but with enough trees in its center that they were sheltered from the sun's rays. It was like they'd used a particular arrangement of the forest as a natural protection to hide themselves from the world. The place was big though, even if there were only a handful of men to live here -five, for what she's seen yet. There were tents here and there, high enough to let a person stand, providing a place to live for each of the men or used for another purpose she didn't know. A fire had been settled in the middle of the camp, next to tables and benches, where Robin told her they were eating and spending the evenings all together. He mentioned a river not far from the camp, where she could bathe if she wanted to, and showed her the well where she could get some water to drink.

She let Rocinante into the enclosure built at the edge of the camp, with the men's own horses -stolen or bought, she had no idea and wasn't bold enough to ask- feeling empty the moment she parted from her horse. Her gelding's presence had been the only thing anchoring her to the reality since she left the palace.

But Robin, ever the gentleman, assured her that Rocinante will be treated with care and he led her to a tent, gesturing for her to enter and she discovered a comfortable and warm space, despite it's simplicity. It was almost empty, to be honest. A bed on a corner, half the size of the ones she was used to -but right now its appeal was quite irresistible, for she was exhausted-, provided with thick blankets and a pillow. A bench on the other side of the place, an oil lamp and a thick cloak on it.

"You'll sleep here tonight," Robin said before continuing. "I know it must not be the comfort you're accustomed to, but this is all we have."

"It's perfect," she breathed, ignoring his implication of her rank and his cold tone as she was pulled into memories, this place reminding her of Daniel's so much it hurt.

When he offered her to get some sleep before diner, she couldn't refuse, her body craving for rest, her eyelids heavy, her muscles sore and strained. So she did.

But when she woke up a couple of hours later it was with confusion plaguing her, but a sense of calmness and peace when she remembered where she was. Slowly getting out of the small bed, she drank from the hand-crafted wooden cup that had been put down on the bench while she was asleep, closing her eyes at the welcome feeling of water running down her throat, quenching her thirst. She got up, grabbed the cloak and made her way out of the tent. It was almost night, and the men were busy cooking diner, so she silently headed for the enclosure to check on Rocinante.

"Hey, you!" she says softly, smiling at the content face of the horse. "Are you feeling better?"

Rocinante lets out a deep snort, closing his eyes at the caresses Regina is providing.

"I bet you are," she chuckles.

"I see you're awake, milady," a deep voice comes from behind, and Regina jumps a little, turns her head to see Robin walking towards her.

She stays silent while he sits next to her, his hand settling on the horse's collar as well. They both focus on the gelding for a moment, smiling at her horse as he clearly enjoys being cherished and patted, until Robin removes his hand and looks back at Regina.

"How do you feel?"

Regina keeps her gaze on Rocinante first, continuing her ministrations, glad to see his features more relaxed than he's been over the last few days.

"Better," she finally looks at him and offers him a grateful smile. "Thank you. You didn't have to let me stay here, and yet you did. I'm very grateful for that."

"You're welcome. Feel free to stay as long as you need."

She frowns. That's quite a change since this afternoon.

"Really? I thought you'd want me gone as soon as possible."

He chuckles shyly, a hand trailing in his hair, almost with embarrassment. "My men convinced me to let you stay for a while. I'm sorry, I'm not," he sighs, runs a hand across his hair again before continuing. "With our situation, it's just hard for me to trust people, to believe they won't sell us to the Sheriff-"

"I won't," she interrupts him. "You have my word."

He nods but doesn't answer and she's almost certain he didn't believe her. Nevertheless, he holds his hand for her. "Dinner is ready, care to join us for supper?"

She smiles her gratitude, and takes his hand, shivering when their skin touch, and given the weary look he gives her, he must have felt the same. But she shakes the thought aside, convinces herself that it must be the cool air of the night.

"I'd like that," she says, ignoring the strange feeling in her belly and getting up to follow him.

* * *

_Present_

" _So I stayed," she says, sighing softly. "After wandering and getting lost in the forest for two days, I knew I was too ignorant of the outside world to leave right away, so their help was welcomed. It was strange at the beginning though, because I was the only woman and I wasn't a princess anymore. I lost all my marks. But as the life in the forest usually required a lot, I recovered quickly. I had to. The first lesson they taught me was that you always have to be able to count on yourself. You never have to rely on anyone to get something done. If you have help, take it, but don't need it to get yourself out of a situation._

_That's why I started my training…"_

* * *

5 years earlier

It's been a week since she arrived, and she feels as if life is returning to her with each passing day. The pain over Daniel's death is still there, is still sharp, but it's more bearable. She's keeping herself busy, and has no unwanted wedding hanging upon her head, no abusive mother to force duties and lessons upon her, no brat spilling out her secrets.

And she really likes these people. They're kind, thoughtful, and nice, always eager to help her, and, what she didn't really expected when she first met them, respectful.

She feels safe.

She feels at ease.

She feels at home.

Except it's not home. There is no home anymore. She knows she shouldn't get attached to them. She has to go sooner or later. She has to go to put as much distance as possible between her mother and herself. She has to go in order to protect them. She doesn't want anything to happen to them, not by her fault.

But she can't bring herself to leave. Not now. Not when John is animatedly telling the story of how he managed to rob the baker from two loafs of bread, right under his nose, when he was only fourteen. Not when she's having so much fun with just eating lunch with them in the middle of the forest while listening and laughing to fake and real stories.

A month.

That's it.

She's staying for a month, then she'll leave. This way it'll allow her the time she needs to learn from them as much as she can to being able to survive on her own.

They started giving her lessons. How to recognize eatable and poisonous plants. How to build traps to catch rabbits and other small animals. How to always find her way in the forest. How to fight and use weapons.

It's hard for her, she's never been allowed to do anything on her own. Riding was her only joy, the only thing she did that she really appreciated.

Skinning animals is still something she can't deal with. Cooking it though, is much easier. She watched the servants do it a lot when she was a little girl.

As to learning how to fight, and shoot arrows well, that's a whole other story.

She's trying, really trying. With all her might. She doesn't totally suck at it, but she's far from being effective. Alan is teaching her how to disarm an enemy, how to protect herself from his blows. He's a good teacher. Patient, kind, understanding that she's never done such a thing before.

But shooting arrows... Robin is teaching her that. And she can say he's an expert at it, the best in the camp. But there is something about him. Something she can't quite decipher. He's troubling her. When he stands just behind her, a hand on her waist, guiding her body in the right position, the other on her hand holding the string, his breath in her neck, she just... can't think.

He's not like the others. He doesn't mind speaking to her frankly, telling her honestly what he thinks, and sometimes she has to bite her tongue not to say unlady-like words. He can also be a real gentleman, but she can tell he's still not trusting her completely, and she's pissed, because she has no intention of betraying them, and she tried to tell him that, but he ignored her pleadings.

He unsettles her, because whenever they're with the others, he is polite but distant, while during each and every one of their lessons, he's just... wonderful. All shining blue eyes and cocky smiles that make her melt, a passion eradiating from him, a real gift in teaching. Even if he keeps treating her like she was a spoiled girl who never learned anything about real life, even if they fight almost everyday over his mocking tone, she can't find it in herself to hate him. She's mad at him yes, but deep down, she's looking for his approval, for an honest smile on those lips, for pride in his beautiful eyes. She feels mesmerized by him, loves the genuine and dimpled smiles he can give his friends, is almost jealous of not receiving any. He's handsome, his strong body, talented hands, beautiful...

She shakes her head. She shouldn't think of him this way. She shouldn't be smiling and laughing and having fun. No. Not when-

 _Daniel_.

Daniel has been dead for two weeks, and she didn't tell anyone, doesn't plan to tell them who she is, and the burden is heavy on her shoulders, and she thinks she just needs to unleash everything, but she can't, not here, not with them around, not when they might hear her screams and despair.

So when they're done eating, she excuses herself, and asks if she can go for a walk outside the camp -and she never left on her own, always had someone with her, but she insists on being alone this time-, and their looks are weary but Robin finally nods his agreement, telling her someone will be waiting for her whenever she decides to come back.

She walks for a while, trying not to get lost, and when she's far enough, she just stops, and before she has time to realize it she's crying, hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs, the other taking support against a tree trunk, helping her stand while her knees are shaking and throbbing and threatening to fail her.

But it's too much, she shouldn't allow herself to be that happy when Daniel has been dead for only two weeks, when his body is buried somewhere underground, when they'd planned to get married and never got the chance to do that. The guilt is suddenly overwhelming and physically painful, and she misses him so much, she loves him so much. She leans against the tree trunk and slides until she's sitting on the roots, hugging herself and crying and sobbing, unable to stop, letting it all out.

She doesn't hear him.

She doesn't see him.

Her eyes are closed and it's only when a hand lands on her shoulder that she jumps, eyes snapping open, almost choking on a sob.

She meets his concerned blue eyes, and she can't answer because there's a lump in her throat, and she's not back totally, not really understanding he's standing in front of her.

He must sense her state of mind, because he's not asking anything, just sits next to her, his back against the tree trunk as he holds his hand for her. She takes it after a minute, and doesn't resist when he pulls her against his chest, burying her face in his shirt, her fingers gripping, her body shaking as she doesn't stop crying.

He's silent, simply holds her tight, gives her a few more moments until she's ready, until she can talk again.

It takes several minutes, but the sobs slowly run dry, and she's breathing soundly, evening it out, her eyes still shut tight, her body drained.

It's only when she pulls back from Robin's embrace that he meets her gaze, and it's soft, kind, and he raises a hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face, his gentleness making her shudder in his arms.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There's no pressure. It's a simple question, and the way he said it makes her feel like it's okay to say no, it's okay to want to keep everything to herself, but she might feel better if she does unload it all.

She takes a deep breath, another one, and shyly nods, gathering her courage before confessing her story.

"I am...  _was_  engaged," she corrects, playing with the ring on her finger, drawing his attention to her hand. "To a man I loved with all my heart, and he loved me too. But... " she pauses for a second and Robin waits, understands that something must have happened for her to end up in the middle of a forest on her own, and crying all her might. "He was the stable boy, and our love and engagement were a secret. We wanted to run away and live a simple life that would be forbidden if I stayed there. But my mother, she-" Regina stops and wonders just how much she should say, and decides she will stick to Daniel. She won't talk about the King, won't talk about Snow, about where she's from, because she wants to let her real identity behind, wants to forget she's supposed to be married and be the Queen right now. "She found out, and she disapproved. So she killed him," Robin's face shifts into a shocked one, but it's nothing compared to the look he gives her when she adds "in front of me."

He's dazed, stunned, unable to speak first, because who could possibly do that? Who could be that cruel toward his own child?

"I'm sorry, Regina."

She nods at his obvious sincerity, and he grabs her hand, squeezing it slightly. "When did that happen?" he asks.

"Two weeks ago," she admits in a broken voice.

His eyes light up in realization, and it's more a statement than a question when he asks "So you ran away?"

"Yes."

He opens his mouth to speak, but stops, and she notices, tilts her head and frowns.

"What?"

He's a little sheepish when he admits "I- I'm sorry, Regina. I thought- When you asked to get out of the camp, I was afraid you might betray us. That's why I followed you."

She looks so pained at his confession and it hurts him. "I never imagined- I've been stupid. I was cold with you, because I thought you were using us but, you were only trying to survive," he breathes, and she nods, appreciative that at least he had the decency to notice that, and she understands his reasoning, he was only protecting his friends and himself. Besides the shame and guilt in his eyes are enough of a punishment, she thinks.

"It's fine. You don't know anything about me, I understand," she says softly.

He squeezes her hand gently again and offers, "Well, if you need to talk or anything, I'm a good listener."

She smiles slightly, just a bit, nods shyly, but doesn't look at him, her gaze wandering to the earth, and he brings a hand to cup her chin, locks their gaze and tells her again, "I'm serious. I understand your need to be alone when you're hurting, but you don't have to deal with that loss on your own. You shouldn't! I can help. I  _want_  to help. I'm sorry I misjudged you, Regina. But I'm not doing the same mistake twice. Can you believe me?"

She stares at him in silence, surprised by his offer, by his confession, by his unexpected kindness, and she finds herself nodding and smiling and meaning it, squeezing his hand back not knowing why she suddenly trusts a man she barely knows, but not minding it in the slightest.

"Thank you," she breathes with eyes full of gratitude, and he smiles back, pushes another strand of hair behind her ear, feeling her shiver under his touch and strangely he shivers too, senses a weird feeling settling and growing in his belly, because looking at her after what she confessed, he sees her with different eyes. He sees her beauty, her sweet smile, her deep brown shining eyes, her dark long silky hair, her red lips and… What? What is he thinking? She's mourning her fiancé, just cried in his arms over him, and he's picturing himself kissing her.  _What the hell is wrong with you?_ he thinks, and shakes his head.

But she's oblivious of his thoughts, and just gets up, clutching at his hand and pulling him up with her.

"Maybe we should go back to the camp," she offers and he agrees, leads their way through the forest, not once releasing her hand, and she doesn't either, finds comfort in its warmth and strength, easing the pain she feels over Daniel's death just a little, but it's more than what she had the last couple of weeks.

* * *

_Present_

" _A lot of things changed after that day. By accepting me, Robin also allowed me to know more about what was going on in the camp. They didn't stop stealing while I was there, and even if I was staying behind with Much every time, at least I really knew what they were doing. It wasn't just old stories, it was recent ones too. But it didn't bother me. They gave me so much that I didn't care about how food was put on the table. I knew they were thieves when I met them. And despite my origins and education, I knew at some point, when I will be on my own again, I'd have to follow the same path..."_

* * *

5 years earlier

The next two weeks, she's training. Hard. Several hours every day. She walks back to her tent and lies down on her bed every night wrecked but content, her mind so exhausted she barely has time to think about Daniel, her mother, her situation, her mental promise to leave in a week.

She's making progress.

At archery, she's hitting the target every time now. It's far from perfect, her arrows landing at the edge more often than in the middle of the targets, but she's slowly getting there, and she cherishes those precious moments she shares with Robin. After he caught her up crying over Daniel, their relationship has shifted entirely. He's warm, and smiling, and protective, always checking on her, always making sure she has everything she needs, that she's okay.

He makes good on his promise to be there for her whenever she needs it. He drags her into the forest with him, lets her cry in his arms, always silent, always respectful when she refuses to talk, always a good ear when she's opening up to him. And when she does, she talks about Daniel, about her father, sometimes even her mother. Tells him she misses them, all of them, despite everything. That her father must be worried sick, she should have left him a letter or something, that she was selfish, and he's probably hurt, and it's her fault. She shouldn't miss her mother that much, it's not respectful of Daniel, and she feels as if she's betraying him, he deserved better than her, should have had better, and usually before the self-loathing talk is over, Robin shushes her, tells her it's not selfish. If her father truly loves her -and he assures her he does-, he will understand, that there are no guilt or shame to feel at loving your parents, and Daniel was a good man, blessed with the chance to be love by someone so fiercely, that he wouldn't want her to talk that way about herself. Afterwards, he usually takes her for a walk, shows her the most breathtaking places of Sherwood, replacing the bad memories with wonderful new ones. He's kind, and gentle, and she grows attached to him more than to anyone else in the camp.

With body fighting, she's still struggling. Her body is strong, thanks to all those hours she spent riding horses, but it takes more time for her to understand how it works. But Alan is patient, nice and gives her time, explanations, starts over and over again with the same movements until she masters them. He makes her laugh, always has a joke on the tip of his tongue. He's about her age, willingly left his family to discover the world, happened to meet Robin in the process and they never parted ways since that day. He's still carrying the playfulness and youth that every 18 year old should have. She'd love to be more like him, she thinks. Singing from sunset to sundown, playing music, smiling, carefree.

But no matter how hard she tries, she knows she will never find back that innocence she lost in a stable a month ago.

Little John is teaching her how to use a sword. It's complicated, because it's a heavy weapon, and even if she works really hard, she still struggles more with it than with everything else. But his favorite weapon is the quarterstaff, a shaft of hardwood from 6 to 9 feet that he just tried to show her, and with which she feels more comfortable, but is not mastering yet. It's thanks to this weapon that he met Robin, he confessed her one day. Because of his weight, his older brothers always used to make fun of him. In order to help him, his neighbor, an old man and old fighter, gave him his own quarterstaff and began teaching him until his death two years later. He became excellent at it, and was training on his own near a river when Robin, intrigued by the weapon, approached him and started to ask questions, wondering what he had in his hands, asking to learn.

"He never mastered it," Little John had said, "but we became friends, and he taught me archery, and we learned sword fight together. I was almost eighteen, so a few weeks after meeting Robin I announced to my parents that I was leaving with him. That this seventeen year old kid that I just met had been kinder to me in a month than my own family had during my whole life."

She likes John. He may be impressive with his size and weight, but inside, he's the sweetest man she's ever met. He reminds her of a puppy sometimes, when he plays the charming cards with her, asks her for a dance around the fire on an happy evening, sits next to her at lunch. He's a good company, and she doesn't mind spending time with him. She knows he's not interested on her, for he already has his eyes on a cute young girl from a village nearby. Regina has never met her, because she's barely leaving the camp, but she's the one he's mostly talking about to her -Amelia is her name. He asks her for advice,  _as a woman_ , and she likes it, playing matchmaker, taking care of someone, helping him. She feels useful, and it's something she's not used to, but it's nice.

Tuck is training her with knifes and daggers, and she loves that, is really not that bad actually. She likes the small weapons, they fit better with her, are easier to handle, to hide and along with the bow they became her favorites. She enjoys her lessons with him, because he is the wisest man in the whole camp. He's older than them, 25, to be exact, and his calm temper and low voice help her get a better control over herself. He's never getting angry, and it's frustrating but soothing at the same time because he usually manages to calm her down before she even raises her voice.

That's pretty much what he did with Robin, Tuck and Alan, she learned one day. Tuck was a loner, a traveler, and during one of his journeys he found those three guys stealing his food while he was resting for the night in the forest. He took in their appearances, and young age, and shared his meal willingly, surprising them. They walked for a few days all together after that, and when the moment to part ways arrived, they just couldn't. He didn't have anywhere to go, and those kids needed someone to take care of them, so he stayed, led them to this place of the forest he read about, unknown from most, where the trees were so close you could use them to shield you from people's sight. Together, they started working on building a camp. It took time, months, probably a bit more than a year, but at the end, they'd built themselves a safe and comfortable home that no one knew about.

The last person of the camp is the son of a miller, Much, whose parents were killed as the mill took fire a year ago. He's younger than everyone, only 16, and is a dreamer. He's always whistling, head in the clouds, and he's teaching her how to cook, how to recognize the different plants in the forest, how to avoid the deadly ones and eat the good ones. He's training with the other men, and sometimes they have to fight each other. She's only been training for three weeks, but he hasn't been practicing for much more than a couple of months, and he's absent-minded while she's focused, so she's learned to find the right moment when he loses his attention to beat him. It's a half-half, because he learned more than her but she enjoys combat while he's not made for it. He knows it, only learns so he won't be a burden, but being a good fighter is not his goal. Nevertheless, he's a good player, has not a hint of meanness in him, so he usually laughs when she throws him on the floor, grabs the hand she holds out for him to get up and listens to the advice they're given.

She likes this, being surrounded by kind people, people who don't know just exactly who she is, who accept her, who help her without asking for something in return.

She slowly drops her guard, relaxes, because she hasn't heard of her mother since she escaped, and she's starting to hope that maybe, just maybe, she's free. She doesn't dare to hope too much, she spent most of her time isolated from the civilization after all and she's still scared that her mother will try to make her pay for running away. But hidden at the camp and feeling safe with those men, she finds a way to forget about it.

So she lives her life, despite the threats she still feels upon her head.

She's taking a walk in the forest with Robin, and they're talking, laughing, and he teaches her how to hide her tracks, how to approach someone without making any noise, how to hide without being spotted. She's careful, focused, asks questions, always eager to learn and she does as he says, tries her best to be worthy of his teaching. But it's a fine art, and she's not that much acquainted with the forest yet, but he tells her it's okay, they have time, he didn't learn in one day, and she won't either.

"What do you say we stop our lesson, the time of a picnic?"

Her smile is genuine, her eyes bright and shining, and she nods, follows him into a small clearing, helps him settle the food they picked up before leaving the camp this morning, and sits facing him.

They keep talking as they begin to eat, and at some point, she finally brings into the conversation something she wanted to ask for a long time.

"Robin, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course!"

She glances at his right arm, tilting her chin in its direction "Where did that come from I thought it might be the symbol of your group, but you're the only one with it."

He smiles absentmindedly as he's looking at his tattoo, a lion printed in a black square inside his right wrist, shaking his head at her suggestion. "No, I had it before I met any of them. It's an emblem, the only thing I have left of my family. "

"What do you mean?"

He looks deeply into her eyes, his smile fading into something more melancholic, a wave of memories hitting him as he says, "My family's name is Locksley. My parents were nobles. Not important enough to be noticed, though we were invited to every big event, but rich enough to have a comfortable property and life. They were kind, loving, and this lion was on a flag floating above our castle. It became our symbol a long time ago, after one of my ancestor, a simple knight, saved the life of a King, Richard the Lionheart. After that event, Lionheart ennobled him and gave him a title, some gold and a land with a castle. My ancestor tattooed this lion on his wrist to show his gratitude and allegiance to the king, and so he would see every day and never forget where his good fortune came from. He fought for King Richard until he died from gangrene three years later, after an arrow hit him in the shoulder. After that, the knight came back to the small castle the King offered him, and spent the rest of his life there with his wife and two sons.

Ever since, the tradition was that every man in the family, when turning 15, had to get the lion tattooed on his right wrist, to always remember to be truthful, righteous and good, just like my ancestors had been. My father was so proud the day I got mine."

He smiles warmly at the thought, draws his gaze away from Regina, before looking down. "A short time after that, he died, killed during a hunt. Needless to say, my mother was crushed, and so was I," He feels Regina tugging at his hand in comfort, and he smiles weakly at the gesture, squeezing back before meeting her gaze again and drowning into her dark eyes.

"We discovered then that my father had hidden from us how indebted we were, and my mother tried to do everything she could to pay everything. She was working all day and night on it, forgetting herself in the process, not eating, not sleeping. When she fell sick, we were still crawling under unpaid bills, and knowing no one was running the house anymore, our creditor just came to take their due. We lost everything in less than a year. At some point, we were so desperate I had to start stealing to get my mom and I some food. I didn't want to, but I had no choice. We were starving, and ruined. She died eleven months after my father. When it happened, our name was nothing more than a memory. So I left. Every man of my family was supposed to join the King's army when turning sixteen, but Lionheart's memory was long gone, and the actual King never answered us when we begged for his help. I didn't want to serve a man like that. I took a few useful items, and disappeared into the forest. I never went back there, I never went back to my parents' grave," he breathes guiltily, finishing his tale, and Regina brings his hand to her lips, then her heart, holding it with both her hands.

"But it doesn't mean you forgot about them, or that it hurt any less," she finishes for him, and he nods, tilts his head as a thank you for listening and trying to soothe his obvious pain at the mention of his parents. But as she's looking at him with a comforting smile and two soft brown eyes, he finds himself attracted by her, and they're close, so close, physically and mentally, and he leans forward without realizing it. She stares at him for a second, not moving, as if mesmerized, but the moment she understands what is happening, she pulls back quickly, looking down, whispering his name.

Robin catches himself, realizes what he was about to do, and takes back the hand she let go of when she receded, dragging it through his hair with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I was caught up in the moment. I just-"

"That's okay," she says softly, looking up at him. "Those were rather painful memories. I understand."

She gives him a small smile, but he can feel the distance in her voice. They resume eating their picnic in an embarrassed silence.

The rest of the afternoon is betrayed by her discomfort, and his too. He doesn't dare catch her hand anymore, and she avoids every physical contact with him. There is no more laugh, no more jokes, and it last only one more hour before he offers to go back to the camp, and she agrees eagerly, obviously relieved.

That night, she doesn't stay with them after diner. The moment she's done with her plate, she excuses herself, claiming that she's not feeling well, and disappears into her tent until the next morning.


	3. Love again : Chapter 3

_Present_

_She takes a slow breath as she makes a pause in her story, her gaze flickering from the cold stone in front of her to the fields behind the grave. The landscape didn't change, but nothing is the same now._

_Nothing, and no one._

" _I missed you too much, Daniel, and when Robin tried to kiss me the first time, despite how happy I had felt over the last weeks, the pain of your loss and my love for you just came back stronger than ever. For a day or two, it was awkward. We could barely look at each other. I think he felt guilty, especially since he was the only one who knew about you. But he made it up to me. He gave me the most beautiful gift I could ever hope for at that time of my life."_

* * *

5 years earlier

She's taking care of the horses, hers and the three others the men own, providing them with food and water, smiles and affection, cleaning the enclosure, feeling calm and peace around them.

The camp is quiet.

John, Alan and Much left a few hours ago, Tuck is busy reading a book, and Robin...

Well, she doesn't know what he's doing, hasn't seen him much since their near kiss two days ago. No one has, actually. He's been disappearing for hours, missing their lessons, but she doesn't mind, she's not quite ready to be alone with him now.

He killed the magic she felt growing between them, the closeness, the friendship, the newfound trust. She feels bad at her inability to go through it, doesn't want to leave being on bad terms with him when she goes away at the end of the week -especially since they have no idea of her plan for leaving. She had reconsidered her decision to go, but after this event she decided it was best. She doesn't want her life here to be altered by moments like that, and Robin is nice, and she likes him a lot really, but despite that strange connection between them that she can't quite put a name on, she refuses it to be something else. She thought he understood it.

"Regina?"

She jumps slightly at the shy and low voice coming from behind her, and takes a deep breath before turning to meet Robin's sheepish eyes. She doesn't speak, feels like he has more to say, so she waits until he takes a step closer, careful not to invade her personal space.

"Do you have a minute? I'd like to show you something."

She looks at him and sees nothing but honesty and hope, and he's been so kind to her that she can't find it in herself to refuse him. So she nods silently, and when he invites her to follow him, she does.

They get out of the camp, walk for a little while, before he stops and turns to face her, obviously anxious.

"I have a gift for you," he breathes and she furrows her brow, doesn't understand, but doesn't mouth a word. He steps to the side and it takes her a few moments before she looks ahead of her and down of the tree facing her, finally noticing the bunch of wild flowers on a root and the shining light gray stone next to it, six letters staring back at her. She opens her mouth in surprise, takes a step forward, then back, her eyes flickering between the stone and Robin, a silent question on her lips.

"When I told you about my life, I remembered your own story, of Daniel. And I realized that just like me, you didn't have the possibility to visit his grave whenever you needed it. I'm not even sure you had the opportunity to go in the first place."

She shakes her head to prove his point, eyes glassy but she lets him continue.

"So I made for you what I did for myself years ago. I created a place where you can come if you want to. It's not much, just a stone, and a name, some privacy, and those flowers I picked from a meadow nearby."

She eyes him again with a stunned face, eyes shining with tears, amazed to see that he did that for her, that he cared and understood her enough to give her exactly what she needed.

"I know it's not much and I'll understand if you don't want it. I just thought it was the least I could do after-"

She interrupts him, wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him tight, eyes closed, fighting to keep the tears at bay, thanking him with a soft and strangled voice as sobs threaten to take her.

"It's the nicest thing someone did for me in a very long time," she confesses when she pulls back and murmurs, "It's perfect."

She pulls back farther from him, turns around to look at the stone, amazement still written on her face.

"Regina?" he calls, and this is the same unsure voice he used when he came to her at the camp earlier.

She gives him a questioning look, but stays silent.

"I'm," He takes a step forward, but doesn't attempt to make physical contact with her, looks down for a second and then meets her gaze. "I am really, honestly, sorry for my behavior the other day. I was an idiot, I should have never tried to kiss you, it was stupid."

The words are out before she realizes it "It was."

He's hurt, she can see it, but he continues anyway. "I promise you,  _I promise_ , I will not try anything like that again. I want the things between us to go back to what they were. I like you, Regina. I like you a lot, and I mean it when I say I want you to be my friend. Just friend."

He looks at her hopefully, and she feels a rush of affection for that man who just did more for her in a few weeks after meeting her than everyone else she knew for her entire life. She's touched, and shaken, and she reaches for his hand, hooks their fingers in a loose hold, fingertips just touching, and he doesn't ask for more.

"I'd like that."

A bright smile lights up his face, and he nods wordlessly, gives her fingers a slight squeeze before taking a step back.

"I'll give you some privacy. I'll be around, just call when you want to go back."

She smiles softly at him, tilts her head in agreement, and watches him go before turning to the made-up grave and kneeling in front of it, grabbing the flowers and bringing them to her nose, their scent enveloping her.

* * *

_Present_

" _I couldn't believe he did that for me. He was the first one to really care about me since you and my father, the first one to listen, the first one to remember, the first one to understand. He knew just what to do to make me smile and feel better. I never understood how he did it, but I know I loved it. I spent a while there, thinking of you, of what I had lost, of what I had found, and I was strangely happier when we went back to the camp. I felt safe again and secure. But I didn't want us to spend the next hours talking about his gift, so I asked him to give me an archery lesson, to allow us both to find back that complicity we had in those moments._

_And it worked._

_For almost an hour, it worked. Until the other men came back. They'd been to the village to steal some food, but they showed up with an unexpected present too. A less pleasant present."_

* * *

5 years earlier

She releases the string and watches her arrow hit the second circle from the center. One of her best shot until now. A proud smile on her face, Regina turns to Robin, who gives her a nod in approval, handing her another arrow.

"I think the bow could become your weapon of choice. I watched you practice with all the others, and it's the one you're the more comfortable with, with which you've made a faster progress. You will be very good at it in the end, I'm sure."

She shrugs, acting indifferent to his suggestion, readying her arrow on the bow. "You're only saying that because it's  _your_  favorite weapon, and you want to prove the others that you're a better teacher," she challenges, smirking, and he chuckles, steps closer when she gets in position, waiting a whisper of a second before putting his hands on her waist, changing the angle of her position just a bit.

He hears her breath catch, and his is short too but he doesn't show it. He made a promise and he intends to keep it.

"Focus," he murmurs in her ear before taking a step back.

She pulls on the string, evens her breathing out, waiting, taking her time, and she's about to release her arrow when it happens.

What she's been dreading for weeks.

"Regina?" calls a strong voice, and she's startled, but recovers quickly, releases the pull on the string as she turns around to see Much walking briskly towards her, ahead of Alan, John and Tuck.

The young boy hands her a poster with a questioning look, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Can you explain us this? It's all over the Kingdom," he accuses, looking at Regina with a raised eyebrow, Alan, Tuck and John giving her a questioning and pained face.

She takes the paper from his hands, and stares at it in disbelief. It's even worse than she thought, and it's complicating everything. She sees a drawing of her, but instead of the WANTED she'd been expecting, there is a KIDNAPPED written under her face. Her eyes open widely and she can't tear them away from the warrant.

"Regina?" Robin's hand lands on her shoulder as he speaks softly, making her jump and step back, gaze flickering between the five of them, not realizing yet what she's holding in her hand. "You told me you ran away."

"I did," she finally says, meeting his confused blue eyes. "I don't understand."

"Wait! You knew?" Much asks loudly, looking at Robin, but the man just gives him a glare.

"Who is that man on the other poster?" John asks and Regina frowns, realizes there is another page in her hand, lifts the one with her face to be met by...

_No!_

It can't be!

She can't have done that! She couldn't have stained his memory that way!

Her mouth is wide open with horror, shock and anger, but her eyes are filled with tears, tears that she struggles hard to blink back, her fingers gripping the paper so tightly she almost creases it.

Not noticing her state of mind, Alan asks, pointing at the bottom of the page a phrase she hasn't seen yet. "Why does that say this man committed a 'crime against the King'? Who are you, Regina? Who are you really?"

When she notices it, she closes her eyes tightly and takes a deep breath, because she knows she has no other choice but to tell the truth. The whole truth.

She shakes her head, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek despite her efforts, but she wipes it away and nods toward one of the tables by the fire.

"We should sit. It's a long story."

And she tells them everything. The part Robin knew about Daniel, added Snow's rescue and the King's proposal. She speaks about her asking Daniel to marry her and wanting to run away, being caught by Snow and making her promise to keep the secret. She's bitter when she mentions the girl spilling it out to her mother and has to suppress a sob when she's telling the part when her mother found them in the stables ready to leave, stops before confessing what happened just next.

Robin understands, recognizes the story she already told him a few weeks ago and grabs her hand, holding it tightly as he rubs his thumb over its back in a soothing movement. She lifts her gaze to meet his, grateful to see he's keeping his promise to be here when she needs him despite the fact that she clearly kept things from him.

She breathes again soundly, her voice shaking as she says "She made us believe she approved our union, but at the last second, she plunged her hand into Daniel's chest and she... she... she ripped his heart out and," she ignores the shocked faces in front of her, notices Robin's grip tightening on her as she clutches to his hand with so much strength she thinks she might break his fingers. "she  _crushed_  it. She killed him."

Her lower lip quivers lightly as she says the last words, blinking back tears, and she meets their compassionate faces when she reaches the last part of her story. "I had to pretend Daniel fooled me and never loved me when Snow thought I was getting ready for my wedding with him. I traveled to the castle the next day, and decided to run away as soon as possible. I knew they would be looking for me, I was supposed to become Queen after all. But I thought they would want me dead, or have me imprisoned, maybe even executed. I guess my mother made up a story to save the appearances in front of the King, so he could have me back if they found me," she lets out in a desperate breath. "And hurt me even more by destroying Daniel's memory. He had no family, my parents and I were the only one to know about his death."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tuck asks gently.

Regina looks up at him, cocking her head to the side with a weak smile. "Because I had a feeling she was looking for me and I didn't want to be found. And just like you weren't totally comfortable with me knowing about the camp and betraying your secret, I wasn't comfortable about you finding out who I really am, or should be right now. People tend to have prejudice when you say you're supposed to be the Queen."

"That's fair, I guess," John admits. "What are you going to do now?"

"I have no idea. With her powers and his resources, it's just a matter of time before they find me," she sighs.

A strong and rough hand squeezes her shoulder in comfort, and she looks up to find Robin watching her intensely.

"Why don't we think about it tomorrow, after a good meal and a night of rest. We can figure out a plan in the morning."

Regina hears some approval among the men, and has no other choice but to nod in agreement.

But during the diner, her mind is elsewhere.

In a stable.

In a palace.

In front of a grave.

In front of her mother.

In front of Daniel's  _dead body_.

She looks up at those men who agreed to help her, who are smiling and talking and laughing and she doesn't want to see them hurt. She knows that if she's found with them, no matter what she says, there is a chance they will be treated as her kidnappers, imprisoned, and probably sentenced to death. And she won't let that happen.

So in the morning, before the camp awakes, she will leave. She will leave to protect them, and she will disappear in the farthest kingdom, where neither her mother nor the King will ever find her.

xxx

Robin wakes up when the camp is still quiet. As he usually does when he's the first one up, he walks to the horses, to give them food and fresh water.

This morning, something feels off though.

The closer he gets, the more he has an uncomfortable feeling that something is missing. He only understands what it is when he reaches the enclosure and notices one horse is not there.

Rocinante.

_Regina's_   _horse_.

Without a second thought, he runs to her tent, calls her name softly, then louder, his voice more urgent and frantic, and he finally enters when Tuck and John walk out of their own tents, awaken by his loud calls.

He finds what he's been dreading. It's empty. Her cloak is not there, neither are the few things she gathered or has been given since she's here. Instead, on the bed, is a letter, and he grabs it, reads it, storms out of the tent, almost colliding with his friends waiting for him on the other side.

"What is it, Robin?"

He hands them the letter, sighing deeply.

"She's gone."

His friends's eyes shoot up from the letter they haven't start reading yet to him, their surprise contrasting with his disappointment and anger. She should have trusted them. She should have stayed with people who cared about her, who are ready to protect and help her, instead of running away, again.

He takes a few steps, pacing as Tuck and John read the note.

_Thank you for everything. You've been a great help when I needed it and I am forever indebted to you. But I don't want you to pay the price of my choices, you don't deserve it. When you'll wake up I'll be gone. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye, but I think I wouldn't have been able to leave if you had been in front of me._

_I will never forget you._

_Regina_

"She didn't think we could protect her," Robin mutters, verging on annoyance and frustration. "She didn't believe in us."

He shoots at a rock nearby, ignores the pained look of his friends, until Tuck stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Is this the real reason why you're that angry?"

The man looks up at him, confused, but his eyes soon open in realization. "No," he states. "I'm angry because she was one of us. She was broken and alone, just like we were when we found each other at the beginning. She could have been a part of our group, had she given us a chance."

Both John and Tuck nod their agreement, and the latter adds in a soft voice. "I understand your frustration. But there's good in her, Robin. And when you see the good in someone you don't give up on them. Especially if they don't see it themselves."

Robin frowns at his words, not sure just exactly what it is that his friend is telling him. Until John steps forward, a small smile on his face. "Go find her, bring her back. Convince her to stay with us, that we can protect her. We've all grown attached to her, and Tuck is right. We can't let her alone out there, not with all the danger that's hanging upon her head."

A bright smile lights up his face. He nods, goes to grab his bow and a few arrows just in case and saddles his horse.

She might not be ready to fight for herself yet, but he will fight for two if necessary.

xxx

She almost jumps when he silently takes a seat next to her. After a couple of hours riding and before joining the small road that will lead her way through the forest, she decided to take a break and let Rocinante rest for a moment, before resuming her journey. She took place on a log near her gelding, absently watching him contently.

She didn't expect him, or any one of them, to come after her. She knew from the beginning she had to leave those men she grew so fond of, because she didn't want them hurt if her mother found her, and didn't want to be forced to hear them asking her to go.

So this morning, she woke up before everyone, packed the few things they gave her -a warm cloak, a knife, a blanket, the bow and arrows she created for herself with Robin's help, food and water for the road, grabbed Rocinante's reins and led him out of the camp, careful not to wake anyone.

She almost walked back several times, her heart breaking at leaving behind the happiest days she's spent since Daniel's death, the nicest people she's met since he left her.

But she couldn't do that to them. She couldn't put their lives in danger.

She was outside of the King's lands, and thought it was enough, still the posters of her and Daniel Much found yesterday was the proof that she wasn't that far away.

So she had to run.

She had to leave as far away as possible from her mother, to never give her a chance to get a hold on her ever again.

"Can you tell me what you're doing?" Robin's soft voice asks, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She doesn't dare to look at him, doesn't dare to face his overprotective blue eyes she learned to lose herself into so quickly. Instead, she stares at her folded hands on her lap, shrugs sheepishly, sighs softly, "Leaving, I guess."

"I know that, I've read your note. But, why?"

She frowns at the question and his genuine questioning tone, finally lifts her head up to look at him in surprise. "Why shouldn't I?"

He cocks his head to the side and smirks, gently catches her hand between both of his, rubbing it slightly.

"Regina, I know you're scared, but you can't keep running away from everyone."

"Well, I don't really have a choice now that I know for sure she has sent men after me. I can't go back," she whispers, but there's no regret in her voice.

"You can't go back to your parents, or to the King," Robin concedes before continuing, "but you can come back with us."

"Robin, do you have any idea what they would do to you, or Tuck, or John, if they find you with me? I can't stay if it means endangering your lives."

"You can't take that decision for us, Regina," he reasons firmly. "You might not be, but  _we_  are ready to take the risk." She gives him a stern look and is about to tell him that they are fools, but he doesn't let her. "Maybe we want you to stay with us."

Regina's eyes open wider in astonishment. This time, it's her turn to ask, "Why?" Robin gives her a soft smile, but doesn't answer, so she adds, "Why would you want someone like me to stay with you? I mean, I'm a woman, I have no talent, I'm 'royalty' and I'm on the run from a powerful and merciless sorceress and a King who thinks I've been kidnapped and will be quick to assume you were Daniel's accomplices. I'm not really fitting to your standards."

He squeezes her hand gently, shaking his head. "Because we like you, and despite what you think, you are like us," he confesses, and Regina feels a pang of warmth and tenderness spreading through her at his words. "I watched you try to learn to shoot arrows with me, use a sword with John, fight with Alan. You're not as bad as you think, Regina. You're pretty good actually for a beginner, especially considering where you're coming from. And I'm sure with more regular practice and that impressive stubbornness of yours, you can be as good as we are. You're a royal, yes, but I come from a noble family myself," he recalls, showing her his tattoo. "And yes, you are a woman, but I can assure you that women can too be worthy of men if trained properly. As for your mother, I don't think she really expected you to be able to flee that far away from your lands, and that paper is probably just for good measure from the King. Even if she did, we can find a way to prevent her from ever finding out where you are. No one has ever found our camp, and we've been living there for a while now. We can hide you, and protect you."

"She has magic," Regina insists, "powerful magic."

"And we are thieves!" Robin says calmly, though amusement is piercing in his voice. "Magic is not something we're afraid of."

Regina doesn't answer that, instead lowers her gaze, staring at her feet, but Robin tucks a finger under her chin to bring her to look up at him. In the space between the two of them, he murmurs, "Just because no one believed in you before, doesn't mean no one ever will. You can make your own choices and create your own destiny, Regina, if you're ready to fight for it. You took a hold on your future when you ran away. You abandoned everything behind, your family, your name, your wealth, to be free. Don't let this sacrifice be vain."

Regina listens to him the whole way, lips slightly parted, gaze still dazed by his revelations.

"We would be honored to count you among us, Regina," he concludes, not once having looked away.

She's silent, too stunned to utter a word. She feels tears prickling behind her eyes, and has to use all her willpower not to let them fall. Aside from Daniel, and maybe her father, no one ever believed in her. No one ever talked to her that way, like she was important, like she mattered, like she was something more than just a pretty lady to wed. They may be outlaws, but they have honor, they have a heart, respect, courage, and are ready to fight for her, no,  _with_  her.

"You really mean that?" she breathes, her voice trembling with doubt, but her eyes are shining with hope.

"Do you honestly think I'll be here if I wasn't?" Robin points.

Regina's smile is shy at first, still unsettled by the trust and faith that man and his group are putting in her. But as she looks into his eyes, and sees nothing but sincerity, she can't help herself. She jumps into his arms, startling him but he catches her quickly, wraps his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair. Her smile is wider than it has ever been in weeks, her laugh genuine, and it sounds like heaven to Robin's ears.

When she comes back to herself, she pulls back shamefully, but unable to remove the smile from her lips.

"I guess I have to go back with you then," she answers, beaming with happiness.

He takes her hand as he stands, helping her up. They just stare at each other for a minute, too caught up in the moment, too lost in their own thoughts to realize the sound of horses coming closer to them.

Rocinante's sudden neighing pulls them out of their state, and Robin quickly moves towards the edge of the road to notice a carriage coming their way. He walks back to where Regina is calming her horse and his, leading them deeper in the woods.

"Royal carriage?" she asks when she notices his frown, and he nods, grabs his own horse's reins and helps him lie down on the ground gently but firmly. Regina does the same, kneeling between Robin and Rocinante, all of them hidden by bushes, logs and rocks. They hold their breaths until the sound is nothing but a whisper, and Robin puts a finger over his mouth while he slowly raises from his spot, head popping over the rock hiding him and making sure they're out of sight. He didn't think royals would venture on that small road that is still deep in the forest, but some of them are braver than the others it seems.

He nods toward Regina, gesturing for her to get up, they're safe.

They stay silent a bit longer, just in case, helping their horses up, getting ready to go. As they're about to mount them, Regina suddenly turns back to Robin, a hand on his arm. He stills, faces her, a silent question on his face. Regina's answer is a simple, honest, and sincere, "Thank you."

His hand covers hers, and he gives her a slight nod as he says, "Let's go home!"


	4. Love again : Chapter 4

_Present_

_She brushes her fingers above the flowers she brought that are now resting against the stone. She remembers the first time she was allowed to do that, when Robin made her the most precious of gifts. Her mind follows the course of her memories, and she goes back to where she stopped, her eyes shining with happiness as she remembers the year following her real integration to the camp._

" _You should have seen me, Daniel. I trained every day, I worked really hard. And I loved every minute of it. I think you would have been proud of me. I became one of them entirely, and the forest became my home. I knew it like the back of my hand, and I was as capable as any of them. I cut my hair shorter, a bit more than shoulder length, dressed in tight pants, shirts and boots, because it was more practical with what we were doing. And yes, I was an outlaw! Crazy, right?" she chuckles._

" _A few days after I decided to stay with them for good, Robin learned that the carriage that crossed our path was King Leopold's, that he'd sent men across the kingdom in search for me. They didn't want me to know, in fear to scare me even more than I was, but I overheard them talking about it. Needless to say, I panicked. But they reassured me, told me I wouldn't leave the camp for as long as people were looking for me, that I was safe there, no one ever found it before, no one knew about it. So I did that. And consciously or not, even when my face disappeared from Sherwood's trees, months later, we were still very cautious. For every robbery, I was hiding my face under a hood, and I was never going to the village with them._

_No one knew a woman was part of our group._

_During the year that followed, we welcomed a few new persons, some boys or young men lost and confused, alone, scared. And for the first time, I wasn't the only woman of the camp. Little John finally asked Amelia out shortly after my attempt of running away, and three months later, they were married, and she joined us at the camp. She wasn't interested in fighting, was content with simply taking care of the camp and her husband, so she wasn't coming with us during our robberies. I stayed with her, just the two of us, when the men were going in town for a drink in a tavern. She was so sweet and kind, and I was so happy to finally have a woman to talk to. Don't get me wrong! I loved being around the men. They were all very protective about me, and it was a nice feeling. But I missed the soft company and temper of a woman. She brought me a lot, and we quickly became friends. But sometimes, she forgot our lives were different, that what she had was out of my reach back then, that I wasn't ready to let someone in the way she did. That I couldn't have the only person I wanted..."_

* * *

4 years earlier

They're sitting at one of the tables, peeling potatoes and shelling beans for diner, talking animatedly, when Regina's eyes landed on her friend's swollen belly. Amelia and John got married seven months ago, and the woman is now entering her fifth month of pregnancy. She's glowing, Regina notices, a wide smile on her face, her long blond and curly hair falling in waves around her shoulders, a sparkle of joy in her eyes. And she seems perfectly content with the situation.

"Aren't you scared?" Regina asks, tilting her chin toward her friend's growing belly.

"Why would I? It's the most natural thing in the world."

"But it will change everything for you. Your life will never be the same again."

Amelia shrugs as she keeps working on her task. "Maybe, but that's what having a family means. You're not alone, you have people who care about you, and you care about them. You would do anything for them. Think about it, Regina!" she says, looking around and drawing her friend's eyes to the animation around her. "We already have a family. I'm only bringing in a new member in a few months."

Regina chuckles and shakes her head, because yes, Amelia is right. They have a family.

As her gaze wanders and falls on Robin, talking to a young boy who joined the camp recently, she can't help but feeling the need to have more. To create more. Maybe get married one day. With Daniel's death, she thought it was something out of her reach. After all, that's what they wanted. But their dream was killed before it even began, and the memory and fear for it to happen again are too vivid in her mind to allow her to truly consider it and turn the dream into reality.

However, seeing how marriage changed John, and the bright smile of the woman next to her, she realizes she's longing for it too. That's what she wants too, somewhere deep inside her. But now is not the good time to think about it. Daniel's death first anniversary is in a few days, and just the thought of it is killing her hope at a better life. How could she be happy with another man when he's buried somewhere underground? How could she enjoy a wedding when he will never have the chance to be the man waiting for her down the isle?

"What about you?" Amelia asks, and Regina jumps, brought back from her thoughts.

"What about me?"

"Do you have someone you're interested in?" Her gaze follows where Regina was looking a moment earlier, and she tilts her head toward Robin. "A handsome archer, maybe?"

Regina's jaw falls, and she shakes her head quickly. "Robin? Oh no! We're just friends. Nothing more. Anyway, I don't think marriage is something for me, I'm not really the conventional type of wife," she shrugs, trying to make it sound like it doesn't matter.

But her mood has shifted into a melancholic one, and Amelia notices, stops what she's doing, grabs her hand and manages to catch her attention.

"It will happen to you one day, Regina. You might not be ready, and I know you feel like it's out of your reach, but you will find love again. Don't let Daniel's death be your heart's grave too. He wouldn't want that for you."

Regina nods, but inside, even if she knows her friend is right, she can't bring herself to believe her. Amelia can't understand. She lost her ability to love a man like she loved Daniel when he died. He took a piece of her heart with him. And she can't accept that after having a second chance in life, she would even have a second chance in love. It's too much to ask. It's not for her. What she has is enough: true friends, and a family. But true love is definitely not for her. The only man she would ever marry is dead, and her heart aches at the thought that she will never see him again.

* * *

_Present_

_She takes a look into the bag she brought with her, her hand taking out a perfectly red apple, and she bites in it, wiping the juice from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand._

" _I'm sorry, I'm always hungry now. But don't worry, I'll tell you the end of the story. Just give me a minute."_

_While she eats, she leans her head back, lets the sunrays and breeze over her face, breathing in the soft air and scents of that field that reminds her of so many memories. Not all of them were good, some were rather painful, but she doesn't mind them now. No matter what happened to her in that place, in that land, it led her to where she is now, to who she has become._

" _A lot has changed since the last time you saw me," she resumes, looking absentmindedly ahead of her "But I thought about you every day. I missed you every day. But one day, though, was worse than the others. I remember..."_

* * *

4 years earlier

She wakes up to the sound of the rain hammering against her tent. She lets out a deep breath. Even the weather seems to share her mood today. Unlike the other days, she stays in bed a little longer, tucks the cover under her chin, looking blankly ahead of her. It's only when her stomach starts rumbling and her bladder hurting that she finally decides to get up. She's slow today, her body heavy, her head pounding. She's been feeling strange since her talk with Amelia, three days before, the realization of what she will never have hitting her hard, but today is worse, and she knows exactly why.

Regina relieves her bladder, dresses quickly, wraps herself in her cloak, pulls the hood over her head, and braves the heavy rain falling over the camp. For once, it's silent. She's almost certain half of the men are already awake, but no one has dared to face the storm yet. But she doesn't care, it doesn't bother her. She heads for the food storage, looks over at what they have, but despite the hunger twisting her guts, nothing seems appealing today. So she walks out, ignoring her empty stomach, and makes her way to the exit. She opens the padlock securing the wheel next to the entrance door, turns the wooden mechanism three times, watching the barrier slowly raising from the ground with every turn, judging it big enough for her to slip outside. She doesn't bother to close the door, the mechanism will reverse on his own if no one keep the pressure on the wheel.

Regina walks head down, knowing the path like the back of her hand, not even paying attention to where she's heading because she knows her feet will lead her there. She didn't bring flowers, there's no point with the rain. She doesn't pay attention to her boots and cloak covered with mud, kneels on the ground despite the large puddles, looking at the stone with teary eyes.

For a while, she doesn't speak, barely breathes, a weight on her chest, and the only movement is the one of her fingers playing with the ring she's still wearing.

"I miss you, Daniel. I miss you so much."

Regina lets her tears melt with the rain, and her shoulders shake, once, twice, and suddenly she's crying, and sobbing, and hugging herself, her body feeling numb and empty like it hasn't in a long time. She ignores the rain making its way through her thick cloak as she lifts her head to look at the sky, her hood falling over her shoulders. She doesn't feel her clothes getting wet, and soaked, and damp, and the coldness making her body shiver violently. She stays like that for a while, leans against the tree truck, fingers brushing against the icy stone and Daniel's embossed name.

She's so trapped in her pain and sorrow that she doesn't realize someone is wrapping his arms around her, covering her with a thick cloak, and carrying her back to the camp.

When she comes back to herself, she's confused, and in a foggy state. She rolls on her side, curls up in a ball, eyes still closed. A large hand is on her forehead a second later, while another one starts rubbing her arm softly.

She hears voices, but can't quite make the words. She opens her eyes, but her vision is blurred, and it takes a few moments before she can see clearly. The hand is still on her forehead, weaving in her hair, soothing, and she breathes softly at the nice feeling, letting her heavy eyelids fall over her eyes.

"Regina?"

She opens her eyes again at the mention of her name, and this time she meets Robin's worried eyes looking right at her. He doesn't speak right away, watches her intensely, stroking her head gently, concern obvious on his face.

Regina feels the mattress dipping at her feet, and glances down to notice Alan has taken place at the edge of the bed, a hand palming her ankle and rubbing softly. Looking around, she realizes she's back in her tent, buried under thick and warm blankets, dressed in dry clothes though her hair is still wet, but despite the coziness, she feels weak, empty and totally spent.

"What happened?" she asks with a raspy and broken voice.

"You tell me!" Robin says with a soft but firm tone full of reproach. "I looked for you all morning, to finally find you in front of Daniel's stone, almost unconscious, and completely freezing. What are you trying to do here? You could have died out there, if we hadn't found you."

She doesn't answer, looks down, avoiding both of her friends' gaze.

"Regina, what's going on?" Alan asks.

"You've been under the weather for a couple of days, but why going out there in the middle of a storm?" Robin adds.

She lets a tear slip free, swallows heavily and then whispers, "It's been a year."

Robin and Alan exchange a look, confused at her words.

"A year?"

She shuts her eyes tight because she's drained, and speaking is requiring all of her strength. But she manages to say in a shaky voice, "Daniel's death."

She hears their painful sighs, and Robin reaches for her hand through the covers.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

His tone has changed entirely, now gentle and sweet when it was full of questions and concern a moment before.

Regina shrugs, burrows her face deeper into the pillow, shivering at the memory of what day it is today and removes the covers just enough to grip Robin's hand tightly.

"I don't know."

She closes her eyes when he places his other hand against her scalp again, caressing the skin and helping her relax immensely. But it doesn't last long. The tent opens to reveal Amelia, carrying a steaming bowl in her hands, her features strained with concern, and she kneels next to the bed, Alan taking the soup from her while she kisses her friend's forehead. She almost forces her to sit, telling her with authority that she needs to eat, and she will, won't leave until the bowl is empty and her stomach full.

Reluctantly, Regina does as Amelia says, although she doesn't admit that she is indeed starving, the hunger coming back at her as the smell reaches her nose.

Alan takes Amelia aside and fills her on the reason why their friend is in that state, while Robin is silent by her side, his fingers stroking her shoulder as she eats. When she's done, he reaches for the bowl, puts it aside and is about to get up when her hand closes over his forearm, inviting him to take place on the bed. Robin gives Regina a surprised look but she ignores it, just scoots closer and leans against his chest, finding comfort when his arms naturally wrap around her shoulders and his lips kiss her head.

Amelia walks closer, crouches in front of them, a hand on Regina's knee that is resting against Robin's thigh. "What can I do?"

Regina looks at the young woman, then up at Alan, eyes pleading. "Can you just stay and talk to me? About anything, it doesn't matter. I just don't want to be alone anymore."

So they do that.

They keep her company, telling her stories that she sometimes knows, but mostly ignores. It takes Regina a while to let go, to relax, to react. But they don't give up, and after a few hours, a small smile appears on her face, the strain on her features disappearing with every new joke Alan is making, and suddenly, Robin feels it. He draws his gaze down to look at Regina, and her shoulders are shaking in his arms, but she's not crying.

She's laughing.

She's laughing, and smiling, and he brings her even closer, not wanting to let her go now that he has her safely tucked in his arms.

xxx

Two months later

"What about... The Night Eyes?"

Regina smirks, looking at Arthur –a 25 years old with a stormy temper who joined the band three months ago. "You do know we never steal during the night, right?"

He shrugs, winks at her as a smirk appears on his lips, "They're not supposed to know that."

She shakes her head in answer, chuckling, before admitting "True!"

"I still think The Brotherhood of the Forest is a better idea," Much insists.

"We already decided against it, kid, drop it!" Alan says softly, patting his shoulder, and the boy sighs in defeat.

They've been looking for a name to call their band –now upgraded to twelve outlaws, without counting the new recruits in training, for the last two hours. They decided that if they wanted to have some credibility, they needed to be known, especially now that their number was allowing them to aim at bigger targets.

But every single name coming up until now has been dismissed, someone always finding a flaw in each suggestion.

"I was thinking of The Merry Men," Regina offers.

"Darling, last time I checked, you were a woman!" a dark-haired man points with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Bastard!" she calls, the smile on her lips betraying her warning tone.

Falsely offended, Regina throws Eric the piece of bread she has in her hand, but he catches it before it hits his head, and bites it eagerly, a defiant smile on his face as he holds Regina's amused gaze.

"I remember this specific woman kicking your ass during a body fight, just last week," Little John reminds him, and the smugness on Eric's face drops suddenly as Regina's smile grows wider.

"And in archery a month ago!" Robin adds, smiling softly at the young woman.

"Okay, okay, I surrender! She's worthy of a man," Eric admits, winking at Regina who nods in agreement before letting out a small laugh.

"Why did you think of that?" Tuck asks, refocusing the conversation on Regina's suggestion.

"Well, to answer Eric's remark first," she begins, waving a hand in the man's direction, "I don't mind not being associated with our name. No one knows I'm part of the band, and as far as it keeps  _you know who_  at bays, I'm perfectly fine with it. Second, have you looked at us? When we're not planning a robbery, we are always laughing and having fun, throwing a party more times than I can count. I think it fits us perfectly."

"But is it enough to make people be afraid of us?" Arthur asks.

"He has a point," John says and Regina ducks her head in agreement.

"Maybe, but I don't like the idea of people thinking we're going to slaughter them if they refuse to give us what we ask for. We may be training with mortal weapons, but I don't use them unless necessary. I've been here for more than a year and I only drew my bow or sword when I was directly attacked. I've never initiated the fight. I've never killed unless it is absolutely necessary. That's what you taught me," she reminds them with a kind gaze.

Regina notices the approval of John, Tuck, Alan and Robin as she says the words, but she knows the conversation is not on the name she offered anymore, and she doesn't want it to be a conflict, so she shrugs, "But if you don't like it, we can find something else. It was merely a suggestion."

"What if we all take a break for today?" Robin offers. "We have other things to do, and we don't have to take a final decision now."

With that and a general nod, they get up, and start scattering in the camp, everyone going back to their respective tasks. As she's about to head for the practice field with a young boy, Dean, who asked for her help in archery, she's stopped by Robin's voice calling her name.

"I need to talk with you. It might take a while," he adds, glancing at Dean.

Regina turns to the boy, asks him to go start practicing, she will join him as soon as she's done with Robin.

"What is it?" she asks with a smile as she faces her friend.

"I have a target in mind, but I'd like your opinion."

She furrows her brow, following him when he starts walking toward the headquarters where they plan the attacks.

"Aren't you going to ask the men too?"

"Well, it's not our usual type of target, I don't want to make them walk into a dangerous situation," he pauses, and she waits until he confesses, "It's not just travelers this time. It's a royal carriage."

Her eyes open wide in surprise, and she understands why he asked her first. She's the only one acquainted with royalty, the only one who knows theirs habits, and since they discovered she had a real talent for battle planning and strategy, she will know exactly how risky it is and if it is worth the shot.

xxx

Three days later

"This plan was perfect! They never saw us coming!" Eric claims, a proud smile on his lips.

After Regina told Robin she actually believed his new target was a good idea, they formed a coherent and effective scheme, allowing them to stop the carriage, take down the guards and rob the very wealthy Duke and his wife in less than five minutes and without a human loss or injury on both side –well, if you don't count the guard Tuck had to knock out when he was stupid enough to try to stand on his own in the way of twelve thieves.

Now, they are going back to the camp –a long walk, since they had to enter Leopold's Kingdom for this misdeed, cheerful and laughing at the stunned face those idiots made when they realized they were being attacked.

"How did you know the woman would have jewelry sewed in her clothes?" Alan asks Regina.

"Princesses' trick!" she says, before explaining, "I had an aunt, when I was a child, that I loved very much. I didn't have a lot of opportunities to see her, but when I was with her, she was teaching me all the secrets the 'ladies' use to keep money with her, drive a man crazy, manipulate someone into making him do what you want. She told me about this trick when I was maybe eleven or twelve years old. She passed shortly after that."

She feels Robin's hand on her shoulder, but she gives him an honest smile, tells him she's okay, those are actually good memories.

They keep walking into the forest until they arrive at the edge of a clearing. Their horses are on the other side, safely hidden from the farm in the middle of the field.

When they took this road on the morning, the farmers weren't awake yet. But now, there is a black carriage, and men, guards, shouting at a woman and her son who seem powerless to stop them from entering their house and turning everything upside down.

"What the hell is happening?" Regina asks.

"Tax collect," Robin explains. "She must not have enough money to pay, so they're taking whatever thing of value they can find in her house to pay her due."

"And we're supposed to just watch them without doing anything?" Anger is piercing in her voice, and Robin knows that she won't like the answer to that question.

"There's nothing we can do, Regina."

She keeps staring at the scene in front of her, a hand on her bow, fighting really hard not to step in. But when her fingers brush a bag tied up to her belt, an idea makes its way into her mind.

"Well you can stay here if you want, but I'm going!"

She gets up from her crouched position behind a bush while she's talking, but a hand grabs her wrist, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her down.

"Regina, no! You can't go there!"

She turns to face Robin, looking more determined than he's ever seen her.

"I'm not staying here watching a woman and her child being treated as nobodies when I can do something to help!" she says, pointing at the bag of gold hanging at her waist. "And don't worry, I have no intention of getting into a fight."

She tries to free herself from his grip, but he holds her firmly.

"What if they recognize you?" John asks and she turns her head to look at him. At all of them.

"My face has disappeared from the kingdom's walls and trees for a while now, and I wasn't a bandit for them. Those men are not soldiers sent to find me. I'm sure they never paid attention to it."

"It's too dangerous!" Robin insists.

She brings a hand to his face, looking at him with so much affection it almost blurs her vision.

"Robin, you've helped me when I needed someone. You offered me a shelter and a good meal when I had nothing," she says, her gaze wandering over the worried faces of John, Tuck and Alan. "Now I want to help them. I  _need_  to help them," she pleads, and she feels Robin's hold on her getting looser. "And I will go, no matter what you think of it."

She takes her arm back, drops her bow and quiver on the floor, and this time no one protest when she quickly reaches the road, making it appear as if she was just walking obediently toward the house.

She takes a deep breath, thinks of her plan a second time, before starting to run in the farm's direction, putting on a panicked and concerned mask.

"Hey! What's happening?"

The soldiers, as long as the worried woman and child turn to face her, all addressing her a questioning look.

"What are you doing in my aunt's house?"

Silence follows as they all stare at her in disbelief. Regina swallows with difficulty but keeps her composure, not ready to give up her game yet.

"Your aunt?" the tax collector asks, surprised. He looks at her from head to toe, lifting an eyebrow at her outfit –not a lot of woman wear pants, but she never pretended her plan was perfect and she kind of was in a hurry, then he eyes the woman who is still staring at Regina, unsure of what exactly is happening right now.

"Yes, my aunt!" Regina says firmly, her chin up. "When she told me the tax was going to be collected, and she didn't have the money, I made a trip to the next town. My parents live there, and I hoped I could convince them to help her."

"You went to the next town by foot? You really expect me to believe that?"

Regina huffs in annoyance, "Well you may be incapable of using your feet, but I like walking. It took me only three hours to get there, it's not that much of a deal."

She notices the hungry glances of some guards, but chooses to ignore them. Instead, she focuses on the idiot who's still staring at her as if she told him she reached the moon. She sees him slowly turn to the other woman, and she smiles at her to make her understand she has to play her game.

"Is she telling the truth? Is that woman really your niece?"

Regina sees with relief the features on her face relaxing as she looks square into the man's eyes and nods firmly.

"Yes, she is. You acted so fast and brusquely that you didn't give me a chance to tell you she was on her way here."

The two women exchange a smile, and Regina walks to the man, holding her hand. "Give me the tax register." In response of his dubious look she adds, "I'm not giving you any money based on your good word. I want to see the exact amount. I don't trust you to be honest on how much we have to pay."

The man hesitates for a second, clearly shocked at her lack of respect, but hands the document anyway. Regina casts an eye over it with the woman peering over her shoulder, obviously looking for a name she doesn't know, until the woman points it to her.  _Ruth_.

She hands the man the money Ruth owes him, and watches him go back into his carriage. At the last minute, she stops him.

"Hey!"

He turns toward her, the irritation obvious on his face.

"What?"

"I do believe you owe my aunt an apology."

When he looks at her with disgust, she gestures toward the house and the furniture the guards dropped on the floor unceremoniously while she was paying Ruth's due. "I'm pretty sure you weren't exactly nice or gentle to her here. And you got your money, so you have no excuse for your disrespectful behavior and the way your treated her and my cousin."

The man stays rooted on spot, not in the least interested in doing what that little pain in the neck is asking. But thinking twice, he must have decided it was the best way to get rid of her because he bows his head in a sarcastic false smile and says, "My apologies,  _Madam_."

When Ruth nods to him, accepting his apology, he climbs in his carriage quickly and leaves the place.

Both women let out a relieved sigh, and Regina turns to Ruth to meet two shining eyes and a bright smile. She's startled by the woman hugging her fiercely, whispering  _thank you_  in her ear as Regina wraps her arms around her and smiles.

A crack makes both the women jump slightly and Regina places a reassuring hand on Ruth's arm, smiling at her.

"Don't worry, they're with me."

Robin, followed by the other men, walk towards them with a smile, handing Regina her weapons, and John pats her shoulder affectionately, winking at her.

She introduces Ruth to them, the woman gesturing toward her son, David, a thirteen years old boy who stayed silent through the whole situation.

"What's your name?" Ruth asks warmly, looking up at Regina.

"I..." Regina hesitates, glances at Robin and Alan standing next to her, before looking back at the woman.

"We are the Merry Men," Robin answers for her stepping forward, a hand on her shoulder at seeing her conflicted, and he smiles at Regina when she raises an eyebrow at him, her eyes bright with surprise, a smirk on her lips.

"The Merry Men?" David asks. "But she's a woman!" he observes, pointing at Regina, who chuckles at the remark, glances at Eric behind her who just tilts his head to the side, as if to say  _See? I warned you!_.

Robin crouches in front of the boy, looking at his mother as well, saying softly, "She is indeed. But no one must know that she's with us, okay? There are very mean people who want to hurt her, and they can't know where she is."

Regina's heart swells at that, and she feels Robin's protective gaze upon her and John's friendly hand on her shoulder. They know what she's thinking of. But, surprising all of them, she steps forward, looking at the child but mostly the mother. "My name is Regina," she finally confesses, and it feels good to say her name to someone other than her friends after all these months hiding. But she still must be cautious, so she adds, "But please, if anyone asks you who paid your taxes, do not say my name.  _Please_?"

Ruth grabs her hand, smiling broadly at her, "You just saved my home! I'll be forever indebted to you. If you need me to protect your identity, or help you in any way, I will."

Regina nods a thank you, and the woman adds, winking, "And I just discovered I had the most beautiful niece I could ever ask for."

Regina smiles softly, squeezing the hand back, before taking her cue to leave with her friends.

When they're out of earshot, Regina turns to look at Robin with a smirk on her face, cocking her head to the side.

"The Merry Men, huh?"

"Well, don't act surprised! You're his favorite in the whole camp! He'd do anything for you," Eric teases and Regina chuckles.

Robin winds an arm around her waist and brings her to his side, his chin up as he reminds everyone, "She's also the only one with John who can compete with me in archery, and she's been here longer than most of you. Plus, I like the explanation she gave about her choice, I think it was pretty accurate," He meets the young woman's gaze, and they smile softly at each other.

"It's not just the explanation that you like, if you want my opinion..." Alan coughs and both Regina and Robin raise their head to look at him in surprise.

"What did you just say?" Robin asks, though knowing very well the answer.

"Nothing!" Alan quickly replies, and Regina has to hold back a laugh.

* * *

_Present_

" _It felt so good, Daniel, to help someone. Of course, I took care of and was there for some of the boys who decided to stay with us at the camp, but that day, it was different._ I _felt different, like if what I had done was right. So I made another suggestion; I told them that we could maybe make a difference. Instead of stealing for ourselves, we could do it for the ones in need. Take just what we needed to live, but give most of it to others. We weren't greedy, none of us. We just didn't have another way of living. And since robbing the carriage had been a success, I was sure that we could aim bigger and wealthier targets. They agreed, all of them. Starting from that day, we had a new code; We would steal from the rich, and give to the poor."_


	5. Love again : Chapter 5

_Present_

_She takes a deep breath, memories washing over her at every mention of her past. When she ran away, she thought she would end up alone, hiding somewhere in a small cabin, away from the world probably until her death. She never pictured her life to be what it had been. She's been happy. For a while, she was careless again, she was living, laughing, talking with her friends, making new ones, feeling and being useful._

_But it couldn't last forever._

_She should have guessed that after years of peace, she would be forced to deal with pain, fights, and new ordeals again._

" _I was so content, that I dropped my guard. For two years after that day, I had a perfect life. Well, you weren't there, so it wasn't technically perfect, but close. The camp welcomed new members, and families started to grow bigger. Amelia and John already had a son, Connor, a wonderful and joyful child. But other men met women, and got married, then had children. The camp was filled with their screams and cheerful laughs all day and night, but it didn't bother me. It was life itself showing its power to us. It was amazing, actually. I wasn't close to everyone. Aside from Amelia, I never developed a true friendship with the other women. We were friendly, yes, but nothing more. And with the increasing number of persons in the camp, and especially children, we decided to built wooden cabins in addition to the tents. We had enough space, and it was safer. But among the former members, a lot decided to stay in their tents, including myself._

_Outside, I was still hiding, cautious to never show my face during our attacks, and when facing people we weren't sure were supportive of our cause. But other than that, I was living like everyone else. Thanks to our new code, we made a lot of allies throughout the kingdom, loyal people ready to protect us at any cost. But all of that started to change, because of one specific day. The chain reaction that followed turned our lives upside down, and we're still paying the consequences of this meeting._

_Like in old tales, it all started on a happy and sunny day..."_

* * *

Two years earlier

"It was an amazing shot!" Robin exclaims, "I honestly didn't think you would hit him from that angle."

"Maybe the student has finally surpassed the teacher," she teases, her shoulder bumping against his playfully.

She helps him tie the turkey she just killed to the same rope as their other catches, puts it on his back and starts walking along his side in the forest.

"Perhaps. You're really good, Regina. I can't believe you are the same person who tried so hard not to stab me with an arrow during our lessons years ago."

"Well, you did know how to piss me off!" she recalls with a raised eyebrow. "Still do," she adds with a smirk and he chuckles in answer.

"We've come a long way. Now I can't imagine spending a day without you," he confesses on a lower voice, and she knows that tone, she knows what he means. He made good on his promise not to try to kiss her again, but three years later, their friendship more solid than ever, their closeness obvious for everyone, after rumors and suggestions from the camp reached their ears, he started to ask for more. Well, he never directly  _asked_ , but he mentioned it, his implication pretty clear, and she always deviated the question, always found an excuse, always requested more time, never gave him a hint on her true feelings, never clearly told him no, but never accepted either.

And today is no different.

"Robin..." she pleads.

"I know, I know! You don't want more, and I respect that. But you can't blame me for having faith that one day you will change your mind, can you?"

Regina sighs, looks down for a moment, staring at their feet as they keep walking side by side. She wants to give him a chance, really. She knows what she feels for him is more than just friendship, even if she can't put a name on it yet, and frankly, she's dying to let him in. But every time she allows those thoughts in her mind, she thinks of Daniel, of her mother, of how crushed she would be if it didn't work out, and it's overwhelming, and too much, and what they have is good, it's strong, it's enough, she doesn't want to risk it.

Nevertheless, she doesn't want to shut Robin out for good either, so she raises her head to look shyly at him, a small smile on her lips and hope in her eyes "I'm not ready yet. Give me more time, please?"

She knows she's asking a lot, he's been waiting for a long while now, but the fear is too strong, and despite the butterflies in her belly and the invisible force pulling her to him every time she catches a glimpse of his handsome face, she also feels her guts twist with dread and anticipation.

He halts their walk, dropping the result of their hunt on the floor, letting out a small but frustrated breath when he takes both her hands in his "How much time?"

She shakes her head, shrugs honestly "I don't know. But I'll let you know."

She can tell he's disappointed, but he nods, one of his hands reaching for her cheek as he leans forward to kiss her forehead. "Okay." He murmurs against her skin. "Just don't be too long. Please."

She doesn't answer that, it wasn't even calling for a reply anyway. But she wonders for a second if it means he has a deadline after which he will decide to seek for someone else. She hopes not.

The next minutes are made of silence between them, as they just resume their walk through the forest, both deep in thought, the previous conversation having left their minds storming with contradictory feelings. But they both stop in their tracks when they hear some shouting, and neighing, and they exchange a look before heading quickly toward the edge of the wood, not far from where they are. Robin lets go of the rope, dead animals spreading on the ground, and joins Regina as she's already looking at a nice, large and comfortable cottage built in the field at the bottom of the small hill where they are, and the horse's enclosure where three men apparently just knocked someone out.

"Horses stealer," she says and Robin draws his bow, stopping her when she starts to follow him.

"You stay here and cover for me. I'm taking care of this."

Regina nods and watches him climb down the hill, an arrow already ready to be fired. She draws her own bow, gets in position and waits.

Robin walks silently in the thieves' direction, pulling on the string of his bow, glancing at the man unconscious on the floor –the stable boy it seems, making sure he's breathing, and startling the three bandits as he speaks loudly "I suggest you continue your journey without looking back, and leave those two horses here."

They swirl around immediately, eyeing him curiously, clearly displeased of having been interrupted. Robin looks at them from head to toe. They're in a bad state. Dirty, clothes ripped and patched up, so skinny he doesn't know how they still stand. Vermin, he thinks. There is no limit to how far they're ready to go, but they're cowards. If things get complicated, they usually scuttle off in the second.

"And why should we do that?" spits one of them through teeth darkened by tobacco and lack of care.

"Because it doesn't belong to you, and I'm the one aiming an arrow at you right now."

"But you're alone, and one arrow won't take the three of us down." he threatens, taking a step toward Robin.

The moment the words leave his mouth, a man storms outside the house, a sword in his hand. "He's not alone. This is my home, and you, gentlemen, are trespassing."

The thieves glance between them two, obviously wondering if it is worth the try or not to confront their opponents. One of them, the closest from the enclosure, slightly brings his hand on the door, apparently ready to free the horses and either steal them, either give himself and his friends a chance to escape.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Robin warns, pulling on the string even tighter.

"What will you do? Shoot an unarmed man?"

Like an answer to his question, an arrow lands on the wooden barrier less than an inch from his fingers, making him jump back and startling everyone but Robin. He smirks at Regina's perfect timing and precision, and takes a step forward.

"Does that answer your question?"

Without a second thought, the three thieves start walking warily toward the other edge of the field, and less than thirty seconds later, their frame are nothing but shadows in the horizon.

Robin finally draws his bow down, and meets the owner's grateful eyes.

"Thank you, sir, for your help." The squeak of the door catches their attention and Robin discovers a young slight dark-skinned woman walking obediently toward them. The man holds an arm for her, before turning to Robin. "What is your name, young man?"

"Robin, sir!" He answers, shaking the hand held between the two of them.

"Nice to meet you, Robin. I'm Robert Fitzwalter. And this is my daughter, Marian."

xxx

"You spent a while down there!" Regina exclaims when Robin finally joins her on top of the hill. "What were you doing?"

"He wanted to thank me for my help and offered me some money and food," he answers, showing the two bags he brought with him. "And he was very disappointed not to meet the responsible of this incredible shot," he adds with a wink. "He was very impressed."

Regina gives him a satisfied smile from ear to ear, taking the bags from him as he bends to carry their preys.

"He also offered me a job."

She stops so suddenly she almost stumbles,"A job?"

"Yeah. Small repairs in the barn, taking care of the horses. It wouldn't be more than three or four times in a week."

Regina furrows her brow, surprised. "You said yes?"

"I said I would think about it, that I was already really busy and I wasn't sure I'd be able to be available on a regular basis. But I think I might accept. It could be nice, having a regular income."

She lets out a dry chuckle and rolls her eyes "I'm not sure it would be enough to feed the whole camp."

"Maybe not, but it is still something."

"What about Ruth, and more importantly, David? They count on you," she reminds, because the young man and Robin have grown closer over the last two years.

After Regina paid their taxes, she went to visit them. Robin disagreed, claiming it was on Leopold's Kingdom, even though at the border, and it was too dangerous, but she shut him up. She couldn't keep them out of her mind, and she felt the need to check on them and make sure they were all right. He knew he couldn't stop her, so he came along, just in case.

Realizing Ruth was living alone with her son and was struggling to make the farm work, their offered their help: A regular income from the money they were stealing –Ruth didn't even flinch when they sheepishly confessed who they really were, telling them that she'd been looked down by too many riches to care about their outlaw status, especially that they were the first one to take her side, and two pair of hands. Regina was splitting her time between helping Ruth inside the house, and helping Robin and David with the farm. She'd already learned everything about construction and repairing at the camp, and could do almost as much as her friend.

With time, they became close. Regina found in Ruth some of the mother's affection she never had, and David saw in Robin the male figure missing from his life. As the boy grew up –he was now a handsome 15 year old young man, Robin started teaching him how to fight. After trying different weapons, he discovered in himself a real gift for the use of the sword. Twice a week, he and Regina were travelling there, and Robin was taking a moment between all the handwork to teach the boy how to properly use his new weapon.

"I never said I would stop going there!"

"And how do you plan to spend three or four days here, two days at the farm, and be available for planning and being here for our thefts? That man doesn't know who you truly are. I'm not sure he would appreciate having a thief for employee, or having to change your schedule so you could come rob a carriage with your outlaws friends. Maybe it won't even take long before he recognizes your face from the Sheriff's placards."

"Maybe he will understand. Ruth is not the only one knowing and accepting my real identity," he says dryly, exasperated.

"He's a noble, Robin. Believe me, he won't!" she snorts.

"You know, Regina, for someone who gave up royalty to live among thieves, you seem to give little credit to your pairs. Not every rich family is as narrow-minded as yours was. And right now, it looks like you does share something with them after all."

He understands he went too far when he sees the teary and hurt look she gives him. He mentally kicks himself for his stupidity, the words left him before he realized what he was saying. He doesn't mean it, wants to take it back, but before he can open his mouth to apologize, she drops the bags at her feet, taking a step back.

"That was very low, Robin. Especially from you."

He calls her name when she starts walking fast ahead of him, but she doesn't stop, lets him alone with the very heavy animals on his back and the large bags on the floor. Shaking his head at his idiocy and her stubbornness, he manages to grab the bags without losing his balance, and resumes a slow and difficult walk to the camp.

When he finally reaches it, Alan and Arthur come to relieve him of his presents, and he notices the questioning looks of his friends.

"I don't know what you did, but she was really shaken when she arrived," Alan informs, and the way Arthur raises his brow makes him understand it's an understatement.

"I was stupid. We fought and I said something I shouldn't."

"Well I suggest you bring a shield with you when you go to apologize. She's throwing daggers in the practice field and I am pretty sure she's picturing your face on the targets."

xxx

She's trying to slow down her ragging breathing with every cast, but nothing seems to work. She's been hurt by his words, deeply. How can he use her origins against her? After what her rank and her mother almost forced her to do, how can he think she's proud of where she's coming from? How dare he compare her to her mother, or find any kind of resemblance between them?

She's proved to be one of his most loyal friends, and perfectly adjusted to the life in the forest. He had no right, no reason, to use her past title against her. After holding her a hundred times while she was crying over Daniel, he should have known better than to find common grounds between her and the person who killed him.

"Should I come back later, or are you ready to listen to me?"

She closes her eyes shut for a second, drawing a deep and long breath out before speaking to him.

"What do you want?"

He apparently takes it as a positive answer because he starts walking in her direction. She glances at him, but resumes what she was doing before being interrupted.

"To apologize."

"Oh, really?" she bites.

"Yes, really!" he insists. "I'm sorry, Regina. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I was out of line."

"Then why, Robin?" she says, swirling around to face him. "With everything you know about me, with all the time we've spent together in this camp, why did you say that?"

"I don't know." he admits, dropping his head to look at the floor, scratching the back of his head nervously before looking up, stopping a few inches from her. "It slipped out of my mouth before I realized it. But I don't believe a word of what I said, I swear! I was just pissed by the conversation. You can be very infuriating sometimes, you know?" he says softly, teasingly, searching for her erratic gaze and trying a shy smile when he catches it.

"And you are an idiot." she states and he can't help the corner of his lips to tip up in a small smirk.

"I'm your favorite idiot," he corrects and she fights really hard the smile on her face, ends up losing the battle. She looks at him as he brings his hand from behind his back to reveal a small but beautiful bunch of wild flowers. She tilts her head in surprise, to which he answers by holding the bouquet for her to take. "Can you forgive me?"

She takes the flowers from him, brings them to her nose to hum the soft scent of the forest, and nods slightly, her eyes shut.

"Are you going to stab me with that dagger if I take you in my arms?" he asks careful, nodding toward the knife she still holds.

She lets out a low chuckle, lowering the flowers from her face and dropping them with the dagger on a bench behind her, shaking her head as she tells him that no, she won't.

She doesn't resist when he pulls her against him, instead wraps her arms around his waist, buries her face in his neck and draws a deep shaky breath.

"Don't do that again, Robin! You really hurt me."

"I know, Regina. I'm sorry."

He holds her for a moment, his lips finding her temple and kissing her there, his hand rubbing her back as he feels her relax little by little against him.

When they recede, they are so close that he can't help glancing down at her lips, the urge of kissing her stronger than ever. He even thinks he sees her do the same, but before he leans in, she pulls back in a slow but firm movement, making her point pretty clearly and avoiding any further attempt from him.

* * *

_Present_

" _I was wrong, about Marian's father," she admits sheepishly, twisting her fingers. "He accepted Robin as he was, a thief. But when Robin took the job, as I expected, he was less present. He missed our afternoons with Ruth and David more than once after that, because he needed to spend the small amount of time he had free working on our future robberies._

_We pulled away. There was no fight, or anything. It just happened. He didn't have time to have fun with us anymore. I was afraid to tell him, but I was hurt by his behavior and his choice to put us second, especially for people he barely knew and who didn't actually need his help. I think I wasn't the only one, but everyone was too careful not to create any tension in the group that no one dared to speak out loud._

_And one day, someone tried to open my eyes on my relationship with Robin. It worked, eased my fears away, and helped me take the decision I'd been ignoring for months. But unfortunately, what could have been a happy reunion turned out to be a cruel twist of fate, as it led to an unfortunate series of events that resulted in the exact opposite of what we wanted."_

* * *

Three months later

Regina's sitting on a log near the fire, repairing a rip in her clothes, keeping an eye on the two years-old next to her, smiling when Connor lifts his head from his toys and gives her a toothy grin, when she hears  _him_  cross the camp and head for the exit. Her eyes follow his frame until he's out of sight, but her mouth doesn't call his name. Instead, she stares at the door for a second, before shaking her head and resuming what she was doing.

She misses him. She misses her friend, her mentor. She knew what this new job would do to him, keeping him busy half the week and exhausting him the other half. She told him that, but he didn't listen. And now their leader is a shadow, barely there, never missing a robbery but absent for everything else. He's giving them up slowly, and doesn't even realize it.

Sometimes she wonders if perhaps he's enjoying it, having an honest job, earning money instead of stealing it. She knows where he come from, she knows he had no choice but to have this life, but maybe working for a good family is bringing memories back. Maybe he will choose them over the Merry Men.

She shakes her head. It's Robin.  _Robin Hood_! His name is known in the whole kingdom and beyond, the Sheriff is after his head, his reputation precedes him. Although she doesn't want to believe he could turn his back on them, she has to admit he's already doing it. And it hurts.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She snaps her head up at the voice, meets Tuck's playful eyes.

"What if I don't want a penny?" she answers with a smirk, but the look he gives her clearly means he read deeper between the lines that she herself did.

"I might have an idea of what you really want. Or more likely who..." he says mischievously and she frowns in question.

"Who?" She asks honestly, and he gives her a pointed look and nods toward the door. She follows his gaze and exclaims with a genuine surprise "Robin?"

"How long will you wait, Regina?"

"Wait for what?"

He shakes his head, a caring smile on his lips. "Don't make me say it out loud, you know very well what I'm talking about."

She stays silent, and she knows she just proved his point by not arguing. He's right, after all. She wants him. Wants him deeply, so much it hurts. But she doesn't want a ghost. She wants the real him, the kind and soft and funny Robin, the one spending his evening dancing around the fire, bringing her with him and making her head spinning and dizzy and light with happiness.

"You know, maybe he's just trying to get your attention," she hears Tuck say and she looks at him doubtfully.

"By never being here?"

The moment her friend nods, she understands his logic. Maybe he's right after all. Maybe it's time she overcomes her fear, and helps Robin find his way back to the camp, and to her.

"You really think he will say yes, after all the rejections I've given him?" she asks shyly.

"I think he has waited long enough to take his chance when it's finally within his reach."

xxx

Regina walks with a determined pace through the forest and toward the Fitzwalter's lands, a smile on her face, but her guts twisted with fear. Despite Tuck's reassuring words, she can't help but dread a rejection from Robin. It took her the whole morning to finally decide to go talk to him. He's been different for the last months, and she's not certain he will welcome the news of her sudden change of mind with open arms.

Looking up, she sees him, apparently getting dressed after a probably well-deserved shower. From where she is, she can see he's bare-chested, his back on her, his trouser already on, and she can't help but appreciate what she has in front of her.

Truth be told, it's not the first time she sees him like this. They went to bathe and play in the river more than once on a very hot day, and if they never bared themselves totally to each other –they are just friends after all, he removed his shirt several times already.

She waits for him to finish, and startles him when she finally calls "Robin?"

He turns at the mention of his name, and seems almost embarrassed to see her here. Anxiety grows stronger in her belly. Maybe she shouldn't have come. Maybe it was all a mistake.

"Regina? What are you doing here?" he asks in surprise, facing her fully and she notices how dressed up he is. They don't have many clothes at the camp, and she knows those. They are the finest fabric he has.

She frowns but doesn't ask anything, just stops in front of him, catching her breath.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Is everything alright?" He ducks his head in deep concern.

"Yeah, yeah! Everything is fine. I just..." she drops her gaze to the floor, gathering her courage, her strength. She thinks back to the conversation she had with Tuck earlier, and it tempers her fear if not completely at least a little. "There's something I have to tell you."

Her tone has grown serious, and Robin gives her his full attention, nods as he says "I'm listening."

She takes a deep breath, tries not to lose herself into those blue eyes staring at her with care and kindness, but also something else, something that unsettles her.

"You know you're my closest friend." she starts, and he smiles softly, opens his mouth to speak but she shakes her head to stop him. "You've helped me become the person I am now, and you believed in me from the beginning. You taught me almost everything I know. You helped me survive. I'll always be grateful for that, more than you can imagine." He's not trying to interrupt her now, just listen to what she's saying with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. "And I know you've been asking for more, and I wasn't ready but..." she pauses, her voice still audible but tainted with doubt and fear, trembling with the last words. She keeps his gaze, looks at him right in the eyes, before resuming "I think I am now. I think I want more, Robin. I never thought I'd ever feel that way after Daniel but, I realized that  _you_  are making me feel different. And I was wondering if-"

"Robin?"

Regina stops abruptly, and she notices the embarrassment in Robin's eyes. She turns to meet a very clean up Marian smiling softly at her friend, walking to him and wrapping an arm around his.

Regina cocks her head in surprise, a question written in her eyes but Robin doesn't answer it, instead looks at her like he's been caught red-handed doing something she should have never discovered.

"Hi!" the woman says with a smile. "I don't think I've had the pleasure to meet you. I'm Marian."

Regina can't breathe, eyes flickering between the young woman, Robin and their obvious proximity. What the hell is going on here? Did she miss something over the last three months? Did he tell her something she forgot about Marian?

She comes back to her senses, shakes her head and puts on a small smile.

"Regina."

"Oh, you're one of Robin's friends, right? You're part of the Merry Men?"

Her tone is genuine, and she's oblivious of the tension between Robin and Regina. He's completely mute, unable to speak, wants to, but can't. He never meant for Regina to find out like that, never meant for her to be caught in the middle of his first official date with Marian. She knows who the young woman is, has already seen her the day they got rid of the horse stealers. And she has probably guessed already  _why_  she's here.

"I am," She manages to keep her thoughts for herself and her voice is steady and perfectly detached when she asks, "I guess Robin is working for you then?"

"Yes, although technically he's working for my father. Robin helped us get rid of bandits, and he offered him a job in repayment, " She's doesn't notice the knowing look between the two friends, and it's with a wide and excited smile that she announces "And today, he finally asked me out!"

Regina's brows shoot up and her jaw falls open in what would look like honest surprise, but Robin knows her better than that. She's hurt, already figured out the reason of his embarrassment, and taking the blow without a flinch, hiding herself behind her usual mask she prepared even before Marian's announcement. But before he can stop Marian and end this torture for the both of them, the young woman continues "I was sure he wanted to ask me for a while! I thought he would do it sooner, to be honest. But you must know the whole story, he probably told you everything, I know he's very close to his friends."

Regina forces a smile, and this time Robin can see the tears gathering in her eyes, knows she won't let them fall, not now, not in front of Marian, especially not in front of him. He wants to take a step forward, to reach for her, to explain her everything but Marian is clutching to him and if he doesn't want to complicate the situation even more he can't do anything in front of her.

"Yes, he is." he hears his friend breathe, but before her body betrays her, Regina exclaims "I'm sorry, I'm keeping you from your plans!" She takes a step back, a polite smile on her face "It was nice to finally meet you, Marian."

"You too."

She bows her head slightly and Marian answers in kind. Robin sees the broken look she gives him, but he's powerless, wants to call her name, but can't. He watches her leave without looking back, almost running away from them, and Marian is tugging at his sleeve, forcing him to wipe away the sadness on his face and look at her.

She didn't noticed the discomfort in both his and Regina's behaviors, and he doesn't want to bother her with that, so he tells himself he'll go talk to his friend later, try to work things out.

"Shall we?"

xxx

The minute she reaches the camp, she heads straight for her bow and grabs two dozen of arrows, ignoring the men's curious glances at her so obvious bad mood, walks past Tuck and John without once looking down. Connor calls for her cheerfully from his father's lap, but she doesn't even hear him, misses her friends' frowns and worried faces, misses the sight of them raising up from their seats and following her, leaving Connor under another woman's watch.

She's too busy aiming arrows and shooting at their practice targets to hear them step closer. Even when she does, she barely glances at them, stays focused on shooting, not stopping a second before releasing the string and grabbing another arrow, hitting the center of the target each time.

"Regina?" John calls softly.

Regina doesn't answer, keeps shooting, again and again, blinking back tears and swallowing back her shame.

She's been stupid. So stupid! She shouldn't have listen to Tuck, shouldn't have let herself hope someone could come after Daniel, shouldn't have believe she'd find someone else ready to love her the way he did. She's a woman among a group of men. She's dressed like a man, can fight with a man and win, is robbing carriages and climbing trees, and has no resources, no good name anymore. She's damaged, and heartbroken, and still hiding from her mother even 3 years after she escaped. Who would be fool enough to want someone like her? Who would be fool enough not to want someone like Marian? A beautiful lady, dressed as such, from a nice family, with a good name and reputation, who probably never experienced more in life than the secured cocoon she grew up into. No! Regina definitely can't compete with that kind of woman. She's a nobody now. She's hiding, is a shame for her parents, has refused a wedding to the King. She's just a stupid, stupid, stupid...

"Regina, stop!"

Tuck's voice startles her with the unusual strength and authority its filled with, and his hand stills her arm, forcing her to release the string she's been pulling at and letting the arrow fall on the ground. She's not fighting when he grabs her hand and checks her palm, where she pulled on the string so hard and held on the arrows' head so tight it dug into her skin, leaving angry red bleeding marks. She's still not looking at them, instead keeps her gaze on the target almost full, realizing she barely even remembers shooting all this.

"What is it?"

His voice brings her back to them, and she finally turns her head to meet their concerned faces. She knows she shouldn't, but she's angry at him. She's angry at Tuck for giving her hope. But she can't blame him. Forces herself not to. She's already lost Robin, knows nothing will never be the same between them, knows her best friend is lost to her now, so she can't bring herself to lose more. She sighs in defeat, shoulders sagging as Tuck gently leads her to a log, sitting next to her while John stays up facing them.

"You were wrong," she just breathes, and there's no anger in her voice. It's a statement, tainted with sadness and heartbreak, but a statement nonetheless.

"What about?"

"Robin."

Tuck and John exchange a glance, before turning back to her.

"Did he say something?"

It takes her a moment to answer, and her voice falters when she says, "He didn't have to. He wasn't alone."

Sadness settles in the men's gaze as they finally start to understand what has probably happened that put her in that state.

"What do you mean?"

Her voice is full of resentment and bitterness when she spits "He was going on a  _date_. With  _Marian_."

She feels a strong hand on her shoulder, then back, rubbing soothingly, and she gives in the comfort it brings her, but it's not enough, and she shakes her head, bits her tongue, screws her eyes shut before losing the battle and bursting out into tears, letting a strangled sob shaking her body as her hand covers her mouth to muffle her cries. Tuck's hand settles at the back of her head, bringing her to his chest, and she feels John taking place on her other side.

She buries her face deeper in her friend's shoulder, clutches his shirt, damping it with tears. She stays like that for who knows how long, crying her heart out, grieving the lost of the strongest friendship she ever knew, mourning a relationship that might have been but never will, and none of them speak a word, because they know it's pointless right now, she's in no state to listen.

When she finally calms down, she recedes, wipes her face quickly with her hand then sleeve, sniffing a few times before speaking, head still dropped.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, but John catches her hand and attention.

"Don't be, Regina. I'm sure there is an explanation. Maybe you didn't understand it right."

"No!" she cuts him, raising her bleeding hand to stop him. "She was quite excited to tell me how he's been interested in her for weeks now, how he must probably have spoken to everyone about her. But you know what? It's better this way. At least I didn't get to hope for too long before realizing it'll never be," she reasons, straightening her shoulders, finding back a bit of her composure.

"Regina," Tucks tries softly. "I still mean what I said this morning. And the fact he never talked to any of us about her is proof of that. I'm sure this date means nothing."

"It didn't feel like nothing," she argues bitterly, stubbornly looking at the ground in front of her.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Regina, you're the only one in the whole camp too stubborn to acknowledge his feelings for you. And he's the only one too blind to see yours."

Regina stays silent, because she knows at least half of what he's saying is true. She might feel something for him other than trust and friendship. But she always refused to accept he might lo...  _like_  her more than like a friend. He asked her to be more, yes, but it doesn't mean that he's already in love with her, otherwise, why would he have asked someone else out? No, he never loved her that way. He was just looking for someone, and when she said no, he found in Marian another opportunity. She can't bring herself to hope that she was more than a passage, because the sight of him with someone else is too painful and she never wants to feel it again.

"I'm sure he'll give you a good explanation as soon as he comes back," John assures.

"I don't care!" she replies instantly, her voice so strong all of a sudden she startles them both.

"Regina–"

" _No_! Whatever he has to say, I don't want to hear it!" She gets up suddenly and walks to the target, pulling her arrows out of the wooden structure and into her quiver in an expert movement, ignoring their pleadings as she does.

"You don't even know what he'll tell you."

"You can't give up so easily!"

"Watch me!" she answers as she turns around, determination piercing in her voice. "I won't listen to him talking about the wonderful afternoon he spent with someone else. And I won't let myself believe our relationship, whatever it was, isn't ruined. I made a fool of myself today, I won't do the same mistake twice."

Without another word, she grabs her bow, and the arrow on the floor, and leaves.

Still too shocked to realize what happened, the two men watch her go away. They both know if things between Regina and Robin don't get better, the whole camp will be affected.

But they don't know the degree of impact it will have on their lives.

xxx

Robin's step grows quieter as he catches her frame ahead of him. He knows she doesn't want to talk to him, he spoke with Little John and Tuck. But he's determined to do it anyway.

She doesn't pay attention to him, is knelt at the edge of the river, her back on him, and he sees her still busy with whatever it is she's doing.

He takes one more step closer, out of the forest and onto the riverside.

"I learned from you, Robin. I'd recognize your steps among a thousand."

He stops abruptly, can't help a smile when he acknowledges how good she's become.

"You can go back, I have nothing to tell you," she adds coldly.

He frowns, takes another step, sees her flinch when he does, but she doesn't move away, just stills her movements.

"Maybe  _I_  have something to say," he reasons gently.

She gets up then, and he notices the tension in her muscles as she probably tries to compose herself before finally turning to face him. Her face is scowling, cold, distant, showing no emotion. Her eyes are empty of the usual sparkles he loves to see dancing in it, and his heart feels heavy in his chest because he knows he's the reason why.

She has a wet cloth wrapped around her right hand, and he steps closer when he realizes it's tainted with blood, but she steps back, her foot only an inch from the water behind her.

"Well, I have no interest in hearing it," she starts to walk past him, but he catches her arm and she jerks back, glaring at him angrily.

"Regina, hear me out! Please!"

"No! Forget about what I said earlier. I was..." she trails off, before catching herself "I didn't mean it."

He walks closer again, not trying to make a physical contact this time, but she keeps the distance between them anyway, does not allow him to enter her comfort zone.

"You can't be serious!"

"I am. I don't know what came upon me to tell you that."

"Regina, stop it!" he almost cuts her angrily, and the exasperation is clear in his voice. "Stop pushing me away!"

"I'm not pushing you away, Robin! I'm keeping my distances. I wouldn't want to interfere into your new relationship. I'm not sure Marian would be glad to see you spend so much time with another woman, now that you  _finally_  asked her out after all this time longing for her."

"You know it's not true, Regina! I only had eyes for you!" he insists, trying to reach for her but she doesn't let him.

"I don't believe you anymore. You're not the Robin I know. You forgot about us. Not just me!  _Us_! The Merry Men! You let this woman come first, before your own friends and family. What happened earlier is just another proof of that. And you know what?" she challenges bitterly, watching him realize the truth in her words with every blow she throws at him "I don't care! But do not let the others down. They deserve better from you."

Her tone is softer when she mentions her friends, more concerned, more caring. Not a pleading, not an order either. Merely an observation. "As for me..." she pauses, looking for the right words. "You don't have to keep pretending. Now, you have her, you don't need me to distract you anymore."

He shakes his head, because she doesn't get it, she never has. Marian is a nice girl, but she's not Regina. She doesn't have that fire, that passion in her. He spent a nice afternoon, but it wasn't wonderful. She didn't make him feel the way Regina does. And he wants to tell all that to that beautiful fucking stubborn woman in front of him, but he's afraid she might refuse to admit his feelings right now.

"It was one afternoon!" he pleads.

"And I wish you plenty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

She starts walking back into the forest and to the camp, a fast, angry, but not quite steady pace he's some trouble to catch up with. But he does, and steps in front of her without a warning, startling her, making her almost crush into him, but she manages to avoid it at the last second.

"Regina, if you do that, if you really shut me out again, I won't come back." he warns. "I'm tired of waiting for you to be ready. That's why I decided to ask Marian's out! I saw she was really interested in me, and I knew she wouldn't turn me down like you've been doing for years. I knew she wouldn't take back her words like you just did."

She eyes him curiously, her gaze almost softening but not quite, doubt replacing the anger for half a second. She's thinking, tries to find the good answer, tries to protect herself. She opened herself up to him and she suffered. She doesn't want to feel that way again. If she lets him in, eventually, he will realize she's a less attractive option than Marian, and she doesn't want to be there the day it happens. So she takes the only decision she thinks will keep her from being hurt again.

"Goodbye, Robin."

And with those two words, before she crumbles in front of him, she hurries to put as much distance between them as she can.


	6. Love again : Chapter 6

_Present_

" _It started like this. The beginning of the end. Well, it felt like it. After that day, our relationship, our friendship, just... stopped. We weren't training together, weren't even talking to each other, unless out of absolute necessity. He went back to see Ruth and David, but either we weren't going at the same time, or we were avoiding each other. The two-hour ride to go there was quite uncomfortable, that's for say. The whole camp saw us pull away, and I think it was difficult for them, because they didn't want to take sides. I resumed my life without Robin in it, the way it'd been the weeks before, except this time the tension between us was really thick. And it got worse, day after day._

_I didn't want to be hurt again, so I refused all his attempts at a reconciliation. And believe me, he tried! Not at the beginning, but after a few days, he started coming back slowly. But I wasn't ready to let him in again. I was too hurt and bitter for that..."_

* * *

Two years earlier

It's been two weeks, and she's been avoiding him like the plague. Not that he acts better than her. He is so angry at her, so pissed that once again she refused to open herself up to him, destroying the amazing friendship they had built in the process.

Nevertheless, he listened to part of what she said. Questioning his friends, he understood how right she was when she told him he wasn't there for the camp anymore. So he talked to Marian's father, explained the situation. With a warm smile and a fatherly hand on his shoulder, he told Robin he could either stop working or work part-time. He decided on the first one. He had to refocus, and for that he needed to have all his time available.

But spending more time at the camp and going back to Ruth's mean spending more time near her. Each time he catches sight of her, each time he hears her laugh –though it changed, he noticed, his heart squeezes in his chest and he has to stop himself from running to her and pulling her into an embrace. He knows she probably would reject him anyway.

So he keeps seeing Marian. It's their sixth date, and she isn't Regina, can't really manage to make him forget about her, but it's a small comfort, and she's not a bad company. He forces his smile to be wider than what he really feels, tries to focus on the moment. She's  _not_  Regina, and she is so different in so many ways. She's calm, and gentle, and tender and soft. She never raises her voice, never fights him, never contradicts him. He likes her, she's a good distraction for now, and even if Robin knows she should be more than that, she  _deserves_  more than that, he can't help but hope that with time she'll be enough.

When he leaves her at her father's door, he closes the distance between them, and for the first time, presses his lips against hers. It's nice, and soft, if he ignores the twist in his guts telling him it feels wrong. It's all but innocent, perfectly chaste, because Marian is from a good family and if he wants to be allowed to see her again he can't ask for more. He recedes to find two brown eyes looking deeply in his own, and she's smiling lightly. He answers her smile, takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips.

"I spent a wonderful afternoon with you, Milady."

Her smile grows wider, and he feels guilty, because he's not being all honest with her, but he needs to move on and Marian can give him everything he needs -or so he tries to persuade himself of-.

"Me too." she breathes.

"I'll see you in two days?"

"Yes."

He bows his head, and she does the same, biding him a good night. He takes a few steps back, his gaze holding hers, before turning on his heels and leaving.

When he reaches the camp, his head still light from the kiss, he comes back to earth in an instant.

_She_ 's here.

She's here, and she's laughing with Alan, and it sounds like heaven in his ears, and he clenches his hands in fists because he needs to get over her. She can't have that effect on him, not anymore. So instead of following his path toward them, he heads for the opposite direction.

But is cut off in his tracks by Little John's frantic voice, calling him back toward where Alan and Regina stand, catching their attention as well.

He reluctantly forces himself not to show his struggle at being so close to her, and he notices how tense she seems too, barely sparing him a glance.

"What is it, John?"

"I've gotten news that one of King Georges' carriage is going to pass across this forest next week, bringing a noble family from the border of his kingdom to assist a feast in his castle."

"Which road will it be onto?" Regina asks.

"The one running next to the crescent meadow. I think we can intercept them before it arrives there."

"That would be an amazing idea," Robin agrees. "With the taxes about to be collected next month, the Nottingham's inhabitants are going to need all the help they can get. We need to work on a plan as soon as possible."

John and Alan nod and step forward to follow him to their headquarters, but Robin notices how Regina drops her head down and starts to walk away. He halts his movement, so do his friends, and he lets out a deep sigh. No matter how tense things are between them, she still is of great help when it comes to planning attacks, and she is one of the main members of the Merry Men. There's no way they're doing this without her.

"Regina?" he calls softly, but he sees her jump despite his low voice. She turns warily toward them, obviously wondering what he wants. "Are you coming?"

She seems to hesitate for a second, her gaze flickering between the three men, not sure where she stands with Robin, not sure they'll be able to form a coherent and safe plan without it ending in an argument. They barely talked to each other since that day, and it always wasn't more than a few words, always spoken with coldness and distance.

She's still unsure of what to do, is about to open her mouth to argue maybe they will be better without her, but Alan doesn't give her time to do so. He takes a step forward, grabs her hand gently, and gives her a smile, almost a smirk.

"Don't be silly! You know we need you here."

Robin is jealous of the soft look Alan is greeted with, because he misses those, he misses that tenderness in her eyes, he misses the roll of her eyes when he teases her, he misses taking her in his arms and breathing the fruity scent of her skin...

He misses  _her_.

It's been two weeks, and it's a torture. It hurts so badly, that, despite his earlier thoughts, he decides, after the meeting, to go and try to talk things through. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe she's waiting for him to take the first step. Maybe everything will be alright again. He figures that perhaps, despite his relationship with Marian, he can fix his friendship with Regina. She might be mad at him for asking another woman out, but her timing couldn't have been more wrong, and she did push him away repeatedly, even when he came back from his first date with the firm intention to choose Regina over Marian.

And he sees how different she is since their fight. He noticed it. She's good at pretending, but he knows her better than that, better than everyone.

He lets her pass him, and enter their headquarters, still ignoring him, but he's determined.

After the meeting, he will talk to her.

xxx

Regina steps out of the tent as soon as they're finished, not even bothering to answer John's pleading gaze when he tries to stop her from leaving so fast.

It went well, she thinks. Robin and her succeeded in keeping their emotions contained, and they all managed to form a plan she's pretty sure will work out just perfectly. But she can't bear the tension right now, she needs some air, she needs to breathe, she needs to be away from him. It's painful.  _Physically_  painful.

She misses him. A lot. More than she thought she would. And being so close to him but knowing they will never get back to what they had, is just adding to her suffering. But she has no choice. She doesn't know anything else, can't go back to the life she had before, can't take the risk to walk out of the forests even if the threats over her head seem to have vanished in the air. She needs to stay hidden. Anyway, the Merry Men are her family now, she cares about them, loves them, and just the thought of never seeing them again because she messed things up with Robin is almost more agonizing.

She's walked to the other side of the camp, to her own tent, and she can hear the voices of her companions as they slowly get out and go back to their previous activities. She notices tools and weapons scattered here and there –she needs to warn the men about that, they have children in the camp after all, and keeps herself busy gathering them, bringing them back to their made-up armory, not once lifting her look from the ground. She's startled by a hand on her shoulder, almost drops everything she's carrying, before meeting Robin's eyes. She steps back, breaking the contact between them, and she sees the pain in his eyes but they made a choice and have to live with it.

"Can we talk?"

It's almost a pleading, but not quite, his voice steady, making her wonder what it is that he wants to say after almost four hours stuck in a tent trying to plan an attack.

"I thought we were done with this," she says coldly, nodding in the headquarters' direction, but waits for his answer. Work is work, despite everything, and if he has something to say about their job she will listen.

"We are. I wanted to talk about us," he tries, and she bits her tongue because  _damn_ , she's in no condition to go down that road right now. Truth be told, she doesn't even want to. She misses him, yes, but the anger and bitterness and shame have not left her, and after four hours being almost side by side, she has no strength left to endure a painful conversation about their ruined relationship.

"There is nothing to say on this subject."

"I think there is plenty to say," he reasons, but she shakes her head, rolls her eyes, breathes slowly to calm her stormy temper.

"I disagree. The matter is closed."

"I don't think so. Regina, I'm not happy with the situation, and I know you're not either!" he points, but all she does is scowl, because  _now_  he cares of course. Now, when he hasn't once uttered a word to her in two weeks unless unavoidable, and she straightens her spine, her walls high and thick.

"I'm fine," she spits, and walks past him without a second glance, but he grabs her shoulder to turn her toward him and the gesture has her opening her arms and letting fall on the ground the crossbow, few knifes and arrows that were there, making her jump back to avoid the collision with her feet.

"Damn it, Robin!" she exclaims, and she's already bending to grab them when he stops her, his fingers circling her wrist, forcing her to stand and look at him.

"No, you're not," he states simply and she dares him to keep going down that path, to speak out loud what he's really thinking, but he doesn't, just looks at her intensively.

"Well, that's none of your business. I can take care of myself," She tries to escape his hold but he doesn't let her, which only has her growing impatient and angrier. "Let me go!"

"Not before you talk to me."

He's calm, and she doesn't understand. Doesn't understand because he's infuriating her, he's pissing her off, and she has better things to do than spend her time arguing with him.

"I have nothing to tell you. You may be the chief of the Merry Men, but you can't force me to do something I don't want. And why do you even care anyway?"

"Because despite everything that's going on between us, you're still my friend."

"No I'm not! And there's nothing going on between us. You made your point pretty clear that you wouldn't come back if I didn't choose you, and I didn't. So now you can just stop pretending you care and go back to whatever it is you have to do, and leave me alone."

She shoves her arm out of his grip the moment she notices it's looser, and doesn't even give another look to the weapons scattered at their feet, just leaves him standing here, stunned, before disappearing to her tent.

It's only when Robin comes back to his senses that he realizes half the camp has stopped and watched their encounter with curious or concern or sad eyes. He grits his teeth, takes a deep breath, and the moment he makes a step forward, everyone starts moving around him again.

xxx

A week later

"Regina!"

She smiles warmly at the woman greeting her, stops and dismounts Rocinante quickly, ties her reins to the sheets' enclosure and walks to Ruth, accepting the woman's embrace, returning it, giving her a soft look as she pulls back.

"Are you alone?" Ruth asks, checking the surroundings.

"No, he's coming. I just... wanted to gallop, so he stayed behind."

Regina knows it's a lame excuse, and the doubtful look Ruth gives her is just a confirmation of it, but she doesn't want to bother her with her problems. Doesn't want to talk about it, to be more specific, but she won't tell the woman that.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"Regina..." Ruth says on a firm tone that clearly means  _Don't hide things from me, I'm not stupid_. But David spotted her, and is walking in their direction, so she doesn't answer the boy's mother, instead goes to meet him halfway and give him a quick but warm hug.

They talk for a moment, David already having made a list of everything that needs to be done in the farm. Much to her relief, Regina today is needed inside, with Ruth. So the minute Robin is here, she locks herself in the small cottage, focusing on the house tasks and talking animatedly with the older woman. In her company, she manages to relax and laugh, having a great time and two hours later, when Ruth comes back from the outside where she provided the boys with drinks and snacks, she finally allows herself a break and sits at the wooden table with her.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on with Robin, or do we have to keep pretending you're not burying your head in the sand?"

Regina's eyes shoot up from her steaming mug of tea to look at Ruth, wide with shock. No way around it now, she thinks. So much for a break...

"I'm not-"

"You are," the woman cuts her firmly. Her face softens as she grabs her hand. "I love you like a daughter, Regina, and I noticed something was wrong a while ago. So tell me!"

Regina stares at her, speechless, surprised, shaken but also relieved, because maybe she does need to unload everything and she stubbornly refused to talk to her friends about it.

So she tells Ruth everything. The day they rescued Marian's horses. How Robin distanced himself from everyone because of the new job he had there. Her talk with Tuck, and her confession to Robin, followed by Marian's arrival and revelations. She tells her that she pushed him away one last time, because she was scared, and hurt, and angry, and ashamed, and that since that day they were barely able to talk and look at each other in the eyes. She even, after giving it a second thought, confesses that Robin has tried to re-establish contact between them, but she has shut him out every time. She finishes her story with her eyes down, and her heart a little lighter, but not healed.

Ruth's hand never left hers, and the older woman squeezes to get Regina to look up at her, a comprehensive smile on her face.

"Now I understand. Look, Regina, I don't know your whole story, and I don't know his either, but what I do know, is that what you two share, is something I've rarely seen. You love each other very much -and I don't mean at a romantic level," she adds when Regina opens her mouth to argue that she's  _not_  in love with Robin. "and since this whole fight began, you both are quite miserable. He is seeing someone, yes, but he  _is_  miserable." she insists. "And so are you, whether you're willing to admit it or not." She brings a hand to tilt Regina's chin up at her words."You should give him a chance to come back. You told me he's trying, so let him. You might not be ready to accept what I'm telling you, and I don't say you have to do it right now. What I'm asking is that you think about it. Even if it takes a month, don't close all the doors between you. I know he hurt you, but he doesn't deserve to be forgotten so quickly." She wipes a lonely tear that fell on the young woman's cheek with her thumb, and concludes "Can you promise me you'll try?"

It takes Regina a moment to react, too many emotions overwhelming her at the same time, and the twists in her gut keep reminded her how scared she is, and why she's stuck in this situation. But she finally nods without a word, willingly accepting the woman's opened arms and hugging her fiercely for a moment, reveling in the nice feeling of what looks like the love of a mother, taking comfort from the hand rubbing her back and the one weaving in her hair.

Regina jumps out of Ruth's arm when the door opens to reveal two very exhausted men, their smiles fading when they notice the shadows of tears on Regina's face. Robin is looking at her intensely, but doesn't dare to speak, probably thinks she will reject him again. Nonetheless, she can read the concern in his features.

But before she can utter a word, David has taken a step forward, asking her honestly "Regina, are you okay?"

She has to tear her gaze away from Robin to look at the boy, puts a smile on her face, and nods with as much assurance as she can muster given the circumstances. "Yeah, David. Everything is fine."

She glances at Robin, who doesn't look convinced by her answer but understands what must have happened to put her in that state.  _I'm fine_  has become the mask she hides herself behind every day now.

She thinks back of Ruth's words, and she's not ready to try yet. But that wasn't her promise. She promised she would think about it, and that,  _that_ , she can do.

xxx

Five weeks later

Looking at the woman next to him, Robin realizes something is different. Something in her, or in him, he's not sure. She does look different, but he can't really tell why.

And then, she turns to look at him, her hand brushing over his as she smiles warmly, and he understands. She's beautiful, and there are butterflies in his belly, and a sudden urge of kissing her, and he does, kisses her, and it's like the taste of her lips is something else entirely. He brings a hand to her face, stroking her cheek gently as he deepens the kiss, and she responds to him, sighs softly in contentment when they finally pull back.

"What was that for?" she asks with a crooked smile.

"For being you."

She seems touched at his words, and she links their fingers, tilts her head to the side and his heart's pace quickens in his chest as he realizes that yes, it took time, two months, but he does have feelings for her.

It's not until he goes back to the camp, two hours later, that he notices he hasn't thought about Regina for the whole afternoon. He does now, her face still anchored in his mind and his heart, but for a moment, out there, with Marian, the permanent pain of her absence in his chest was... gone. And he wonders if it could be enough. Regina still refuses to talk to him, and he's slowly losing hope that things could ever be better between them. And Marian, she's not Regina, but she's helping, her presence really helps now, and maybe with her he could have a good life. Maybe with her, he could be happy.

xxx

Two weeks later

"Can you give me those seeds, please?"

Amelia holds her hand to grab the small bag Regina gives her, and empties it in the holes she dug in the ground. With the increasing population of the camp, they started a vegetable garden a year ago, to provide a certain amount of food all the time, just in case they wouldn't be able to buy enough for everyone, and to save gold for other things.

Amelia is mostly the one taking care of it, with help from the other women who joined the camp by marrying Merry Men, but whenever Regina has time between teaching a class to the new recruits and thefts, she helps. It gives the two women some time alone, some time to talk, and laugh, and Amelia likes those moments because the smile who used to be plastered on her friend's face is slowly fading, a little more every day.

She's worried, because despite her strong temper, despite all her pretending, Regina is fragile, and her heart has been broken twice now. Amelia doesn't know exactly what her friend thinks of the situation with Robin, because she refuses to talk about it and keeps pretending she doesn't care, but even a blind man could see how deeply hurt she is.

And it's enough, she thinks. It has to stop. She knows Robin is still trying to restore contact with Regina, but her stubbornness has almost become a legend in the camp, and she has turned him down each and every time.

When Amelia feels someone approaching them she raises her head and smiles widely when she sees Robin with a bag in hand walking toward them. She prays today will be the day Regina won't turn him away.

She smiles widely as she sees him walk straight toward them, a bag in his hand.

"Hey, Robin!" She notices the way Regina's body stiffened at the name, but her friend doesn't look up, keeps digging into the ground with a small spade and does a wonderful job at ignoring his presence.

"Hey! I'm coming back from the village, I bought the herbs you asked for."

"Oh, thanks! If I had to wait for John to buy it, it'd have taken forever," she muses, sharing with him a light chuckle that lacked any real amusement.

She takes the bag from his hands, and his gaze flickers to Regina, words on his lips but not wanting to pick up a fight.

"Yeah, he does have a tendency to forget about this kind of things," Robin recognizes, turning to Amelia, not bold enough to confront his former friend apparently. "Do you need something else?"

But Amelia is tired of all this, really. So she does something that she knows Regina might hold against her, but she doesn't care. "Another pair of hands, maybe?"

She catches both Regina's furious glance and Robin's surprised one, but she keeps her smile on, doesn't pay attention to the young woman, and watches as Robin nods and crouches in front of her, clearly uncomfortable, but probably hoping that Amelia's presence will protect him against Regina's thunder.

He asks for instructions, directions, what it is exactly that he has to do, and Amelia is happy to help, talks animatedly, but Regina's trembling hands beside them don't go unnoticed by the both of them.

She is so distracted that even after Amelia realizes how she grazes the sharp side of the spade several times, and she tells her to be careful, she doesn't listen, and in the blink of an eye it's too late, blood is flowing heavily from where she cut her hand deeply.

"Damnit!"

Regina gets up and steps back to avoid her blood to fall over the crops, presses a hand over her palm to try to stop the bleeding. Amelia and Robin are by her side a second later, but she jerks back when the man tries to reach for her, sending him an angry glare that keeps him away.

Nonetheless, he follows when Amelia drags her into the small cabin where they store all the medical supplies.

"It's nothing!" Regina insists with annoyance, trying to take her hand back but Amelia doesn't let her.

"It's not nothing! I told you to pay attention to what you were doing. If you weren't so stubborn, a lot of things would be different."

She's checking the wound as she speaks, but she doesn't miss the provocation in Regina's voice when she asks coldly "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you got my point exactly."

Surprising everyone, for once, Regina doesn't answer, instead huffs in frustration and looks away, but lets her friend take care of her hand.

"I think you should stop training for a few days, give time for that wound to heal," Robin observes.

Regina's head snaps up, her eyes throwing daggers at him. "Mind your own business, will you!"

"I'm just trying to help."

"Don't bother!"

"Regina!" Amelia scolds firmly, catching her friend's attention.

"What?"

"Enough!" Taking advantage of Regina's silence for a second, Amelia turns to Robin, a softer but determined look on her face. "Can you give us a moment, please?"

He gives a last sad glance at Regina, before leaving the two of them alone, the dark-haired woman relaxing slightly the moment he passes the door. But when she meets Amelia's furious look, she knows she will have to face her friend's anger.

"It has to stop!"

Regina rolls her eyes, but a pressure on her wound makes her wince in pain and she frowns at the woman who still has a firm hold on her hand.

"I'm tired of this situation, Regina. The whole camp is. You need to find a way to live with what happened or to mend it, but it can't go on like this. I know you're hurt, but he is too, and he's trying to make it up to you despite the way you treat him. I love you, Regina, but you pushed him away so many times I don't know where he still finds the strength to fight for you."

"He's not fighting for me," Regina mutters bitterly. "He just wants me to be okay with his newfound happiness."

Amelia's tone is softer when she answers "Can you blame him? Does that make him a bad man?" In front of her friend's silence, she continues "You refused him that happiness, Regina. And he's been patient with you, waited for years. But you know what? I don't know a lot of men who would be ready to wait that long for one woman when they could have plenty others."

Realization seems to make its way into Regina's mind, understanding settling in her eyes, so Amelia doesn't stop, "I don't know if Marian makes Robin happy the way he would have been with you, but I am fairly certain that no matter what his feelings for her are, his life will never be complete unless he has you in it. And honestly, maybe you won't be more than friends now that he's with her, but friendship is better than what you have now, don't you think?"

Amelia lets her friend think about her words, and finishes to clean and bandage her hand. She's tying the band when she hears Regina's shy voice.

"I don't know what I should tell him."

Amelia squeezes her hand again, kindly this time, looking at her in the eyes, "I think the truth would be great." She acknowledges Regina's small nod, and takes her friend in her arms, sensing her hesitation. She kisses her forehead and murmurs against her skin "Take a few days. Two, or three, but not more. Decide what it is exactly that you want him to know, and then go. But do not ruin everything by keeping your feelings for yourself."

xxx

Two days later

She's been walking in the forest for almost two hours now, the dread and anticipation for what she's planned to do tonight preventing her to calm her nerves. She's anxious. Amelia's words have not left her in two days. She's been thinking about it every second of every hour since. And after hours of reflection, after remembering Ruth's advice too, she finally took the decision to talk to him.

Tonight.

She will do as Amelia said; Tell the truth. She will admit her mistakes, how she's been distant with him because the thought of him with someone else was too much to bear. Because she selfishly thought he would have waited for her forever. But she understands now that she was at fault, not him, and she accepts his relationship with Marian, and if he can forgive her, she wants to be his friend again.

She shakes her head thinking about that. Only half of it is the truth, actually. She wants to be his friend again, picturing him with Marian was indeed painful, and she did thought he would wait for her. But she's not accepting his relationship with the other woman. She doesn't think she's the only one at fault. He should have been honest with her when he started considering moving on. He should have said something on the day she opened herself up to him. Not hours later, but right at that moment. He was a coward then, not at all the self-confident man she learned to care for. But she won't tell him that. For once, she will swallow her pride, and live with the consequences of her actions. After all, he did warn her that it would be over if she pushed him away one last time.

Lifting her head up, she realizes she's quite far from the camp, farther than she thought, but she knows this place. It's where they use to hunt together, where it all started. Ignoring why, she approaches the edge of the cliff, the Fitzwalter's house appearing slowly in her vision. Something in her screams at her to step back, to leave, but she doesn't listen, keeps walking, as if pushed by a force stronger than her will, and that's when she sees it.

_Them_.

She should have known, after all. Robin has spent a lot more time with her lately. Nevertheless, she never had the opportunity to see them together since their first date, and honestly, she didn't think it would be that painful. A stab in her heart that hurts so much it brings tears to her eyes. But she must be strong! She promised Ruth, and Amelia is trusting her to do the right thing. And she will!

She will, she thinks, until she sees  _him_  on one knee, and  _her_  jumping in his arms, and she realizes what is happening in front of her very eyes. The pain is suddenly too much, overwhelming, excruciating, burning in her lungs, squeezing her chest and forbidding her to breathe as she chokes on a sob. Her legs are shaking and weak under her, forcing her to lean against a nearby tree while she can't tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her.

She can't.

She thought she was strong enough, but she's not. She wasn't fool enough to think this would never happen, but she never imagined that the pain would be so strong. And especially, she never imagined she would witness it.

The moment she comes back to her spirit, she turns her back on them, and runs, runs, runs through the forest and doesn't look back, putting as much distance between them as she can. Right now, she needs to be alone. She needs to recover, and for that she needs to find a safe place. Somewhere they won't find her. She thinks of Daniel's stone, but it's too close from the camp, and the first location they will look for her.

So she keeps running, barely paying attention to where she's going, but she doesn't care if she gets lost. Nothing seems important now.

When she finally stops, out of breath, it's in front of a waterfall. She recognizes it. It's deep in Sherwood's Forest, more than an hour of walk from the camp. She came here once or twice before. It's beautiful. She catches her breath as she walks closer to the stream, her heart still hammering in her chest, and right now she wishes she could rip it out and throw it into the water. But she can't, she doesn't have that power. Her mother does. And she used it to kill Daniel. She used it to destroy her daughter's life, because she would have never been in so much pain had she been allowed to marry him.

She plays absentmindedly with the ring on her finger, sitting on a rock and staring blankly at the water. It's too late now. She ruined all her chances at a happy ending. She wasn't able to protect Daniel, and she wasn't able to keep Robin. She will spend the rest of her life miserable, and alone, because there are no such things as third chances.

She won't go to Robin. She may have been able to, had she not seen him in the middle of a great moment. But she refuses to tell him what she thinks now that he, even obliviously, caused her such a painful heartbreak. Amelia can say whatever she wants, she won't budge from her position.

It's over.

* * *

_Present_

_She fists her hand thinking of those painful moments, closes her eyes to ease the feeling away, breathes slowly, opening her eyes and smiling weakly at the stone in front of her._

" _I was back to square one. It was like all the healing Robin helped doing during the previous years was undone the second I saw him propose to another woman. And I know, Daniel,_ I know _, that it was me who kept him away. But I was too hurt and bitter to see it back then. I didn't want to share him with her, so I shut myself down for good. While I was on that rock, doing nothing else but think of everything I will never have, I made the choice to never let him, or anyone else, in, ever again."_


	7. Love again : Chapter 7

_Present_

" _I don't know how much time I spent there, I was too caught up in my own thoughts and misery to notice the world was still moving. It must have been hours, because at some point I realized the sun was low in the sky and the night was beginning._

_I knew my friends would worry, I had never disappeared without letting them know where I was going. But I guess I just didn't care then. Nothing mattered anymore. So I just stayed there, trying to deal with the storm of feelings inside me. I don't even remember what I had in mind. I think I felt mostly empty, broken. Like if a part of me had been ripped out from my body. Like something was missing._

_I was angry, but I didn't really know with who anymore. Truth be told, I was utterly lost. My world had been turned upside-down again, and I knew that by making her his wife I would have to see them everyday at the camp. It was the rule. Every woman marrying a Merry Man was coming to live with us. And I wasn't sure I'd be strong enough to bear that sight for the rest of my life._

_Eventually, I thought they'd forgotten about me. I didn't mind, I needed the loneliness. I was wrong though. It was almost completely dark, the moonlight being the only light allowing me to see my surroundings, when I heard someone call my name."_

* * *

A year and a half earlier

"Regina?"

She knows that voice, but tries to ignore it. If she closes her eyes long enough, maybe the person will just go away.

"Regina?"

The tone is louder and firmer, and before she can answer a hand is on her shoulder, making her jump and turn around quickly.

Little John.

He's holding a torch. She looks away and blinks a few times to adjust to its light, then takes in the concern face of her friend, but doesn't react. She's still numb from the hours she spent sitting here without moving or talking, and it takes her a moment to get control over her body.

"Are you alright? What are you doing here? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

She knew this would happen, and she's pretty much sure some people are going to give her the speech, but she couldn't care less. Wincing after staying in the same position for so long, she stretches her legs, raises on her feet, loosing her balance for an instant, causing John's hand to reach for her arm to help steady her.

"Regina?" he calls again, and this time he's pleading her to talk to him, to give him a sign that she's okay. She's not okay, but John is her friend, and he did nothing wrong but care deeply for her, and she doesn't want to worry him more than he already is.

"I'm fine. Let's go," she says blankly and there is no emotion in her voice nor her face, her body straight and her chin up as she walks past him and starts heading for the camp.

"That's all I'll get? Really? I think I deserve more than that, don't you think?" he accuses, catching up with her and she swirls around, forcing him to come to a sudden halt.

"You do, John. You deserve more. But I can't give you that. Not now. I needed to be alone and not feel pressured or being swarmed by questions. That's why I came here. And now that you found me, I'm coming back with you, but I don't want to talk about it, not with you, or anyone else," she clarifies. "And I'd like you to respect that."

He's unsettled by her calm and tired tone, she can tell by the dubious look he gives her, but he nods, breathes a small  _okay_ , and hands her a water flask, tilts his chin toward the road once she's had a few gulps, urging her to resume their walk. The road back will for sure be a long one.

xxx

It's late when they reach the camp, almost ten, but the door opens the moment it's in their sight. They must be waiting for them, Regina thinks. John sent a signal when they were halfway here. And it's not good... Not for her. Because she knows very well who must be on the other side.

Just as she'd pictured it, she was greeted by half the camp, all clearly relieved to see her unharmed, but also wondering  _where the hell she had been_. She doesn't want to answer those questions, doesn't want the pressure she's feeling right now, that's why she left, and it annoys her more than it should, so she snaps coldly.

"That's none of your business!"

Alan steps back, surprised by her harsh tone towards him, and she feels guilty, because she should not talk to him like that, never has, but she's not quite herself right now and she just wants to shut herself in her tent and sleep for the next two days.

Regina purposely ignores Robin's upset face at her attitude, and starts walking through the crowd, when a voice stops her in her tracks. She turns around, and Amelia hugs her tightly, tells her they've been worried sick, she shouldn't have disappeared like that. She wraps her arms around her friend's frame out of reflex, but barely responds to her embrace or questions, instead meets Robin's gaze again and she knows that despite her glare, he will not let her go without answers.

"Regina, where were you?" he starts, stepping forward when she recedes from Amelia's arms. "We were afraid that something might have happened to you!"

She doesn't look at him now, her gaze wandering among her friends' concerned faces instead. She sees Eric tentatively taking a step in her direction but she dissuades him from approaching with a slight shake of her head and an icy look.

"I'm here now, and I'm fine. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing," Because she's neither a fool or blind, she noticed the lute and tambourine were out by the fire, she felt the lingering smell of recently roasted meat, could smell the alcohol in some of her friends' breath. They had been celebrating, until someone realized she wasn't there. Until someone realized she was missing.

Amelia tries to hold her back, her name a pleading on her lips, her hand gripping hers, but she drops it, shakes it away to be technical, and starts walking to her tent. She rolls her eyes in exasperation when she hears him call her name. Of course  _now_ , he won't let her go that easily. She closes her fists to contain her anger; anger she had tamed during her time spent alone. She bites her tongue to keep her sharp words inside, but doesn't stop walking until he's next to her, a firm hand on her arm to halt her.

"Hey! Don't run away! You have no right to talk to us, or treat us like that, Regina! You can't expect me, or any of us, not to worry about you when you disappear for hours without warning, and act like it's nothing when you grace us with your presence."

He's clearly mad at her, she can hear it in the small tremor of his voice. He forces her to look up at him, but she shoves his arm away, taking a step back, startling him with the violence of her gesture. She opens her mouth to speak, but stops herself, looks away for a few seconds, breathing slowly through her nose to calm her wild temper, before meeting his gaze again.

"I'm sorry," she breathes, and he's even more surprised by her calm tone than her freely given apology. Calm, but cold, and not completely sincere. She's saying what he wants to hear to stop the argument before it even begins, restraining all her feelings in her small, tensed, trembling body. She's on edge, keeping her mouth shut tight to avoid saying something she'll regret, digging her nails in her palms to focus on the physical pain instead of the mental torture she's experiencing.

He crosses his arm on his chest, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you."

She nods, turns her back on him, heading for her tent. She can do it, she thinks, can hold on until she's put enough distance between them, can...

"Regina!"

_Shit!_

She holds her breath, closes her eyes, and sighs deeply. When will he learn to give her some space?

She turns slowly, raises her eyes from the ground to see him walking towards her, suddenly very nervous, and she wonders if he'll have the nerve to tell her now.

"I just... There's something you should know..."

Apparently, he does...  _Wonderful!_

"Save it, Robin! I know." she cuts, eager to end this as quickly as possible.

"You do?" he asks, eyes wide in surprise, mouth slightly open, but he closes it almost immediately.

"I saw you. So spare us the awkward speech you must have prepared. Congratulations! I wish you a very happy life with her."

He gives her a doubtful look, cocks his head to the side, studying her. She stomps her foot, growing rather impatient at his lack of answer, crosses her arms over her chest when she shivers at the cool temperature the night is settling upon them.

"What?" she bites, hoping to pull him off of his state.

"Is that why you disappeared? Because you saw us?"

Regina wants to knock her head against a tree. Well...  _his_  head, to be more specific. He's an idiot! He just got engaged, should be thrilled about that, should be celebrating with his friends, and instead he's picking up fights with her while she tries her hardest not to give into the anger she's full of. Anger at him. Anger at Marian. Anger at  _herself_.

"Honestly?" she asks sarcastically, and he gives her a stern look. "Yes! I wasn't really thrilled about it. But it's your life, and I have no say in the matter, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

She's turning away from him again, but he catches her arm at the last second.

"Wait!"

_What now?_

She looks at him expectantly, raising a brow in question, and he seems to have forgotten what he wants to say, but recovers quickly.

"You haven't even eaten."

"I'm not hungry."

He sighs, looks down for a second, scratching the back of his head, before raising nervous eyes to look at her.

"Look, Regina... Maybe you don't want to celebrate, but it's supposed to be a happy day for me, and I had hoped you could stay with us,  _with me_ , for a bit. I miss you." he confesses softly, his voice full of hope and Regina is tempted to give in, to let go, to forget her bitterness and be here for him tonight, just like she planned this morning. But she thinks back at the last weeks, at the scene she witnessed a few hours ago, at the heartbreak she feels still hammering in her chest, and it's too much, too painful, she's not strong enough.

So she answers in a shaky voice, as he's still looking at her with those deep bright hopeful blue eyes she knows she'll disappoint "I'm sorry, Robin. I can't."

She shakes her head, and when she takes back her arm, he lets her go, defeated and clearly hurt, watching her as she enters her tent and closes it behind her. He stays there a few minutes, the light mood he felt this afternoon long gone, sadness filling his heart as he realizes it's over, he crossed the line that will cut him from Regina forever, she will never forgive him after this.

Regina changes her clothes and wraps herself in the warmth of the covers as fast as possible, fighting the urge to burst out crying, trying her best to ignore the cheerful conversations and chanting of her friends that started back a moment after she locked herself in her tent. She should be there with them, should be dancing and singing and drinking and having fun, but her heart is not there. Her heart is broken, is bleeding, is crying and it hurts so much it's burning in her chest, heavy with all those unspoken feelings she will never have the chance to voice now.

When Amelia comes to check on her an hour later, despite the loud noise in the camp of a few still drunk men, she's sound asleep, completely drained, her pillow still wet from her tears.

* * *

_Present_

" _I never imagined things would go that far, but after that day, we weren't even able to stand next to each other. I think he was hurt and disappointed by my reaction and persistence at refusing his happiness with someone else when, like Amelia told me, I denied him the same thing when he was repeatedly asking for it. And I was determined not to show my wounds to anyone. So I started to isolate myself. I was present whenever I was needed, but I wasn't participating in any cheerful evening, or talks, or anything unnecessary._

_My only joy was John and Amelia's little boy, Connor. I loved this child with all my heart, and he loved me too. One smile from him soothed me more than anything else. But I couldn't spend all my time with him. Consequently, I was disappearing for hours and this time they knew it was better not to come after me. Actually, I spent a lot of time on your grave –the one Robin had made for me. I missed you so much then. I was losing myself, drowning, couldn't find my way back to the surface, and I was in a desperate need of someone to save me..."_

* * *

Three weeks later

She kneels in front of the stone, gently laying the flowers in front of it, removing the dead ones left from her previous visit, and brushing her fingers over the engraved letters. She settles more comfortably on the ground, tilts her head to the side and sighs deeply.

"I wish you were here, Daniel. I really need you, more than ever," She shakes her head, and looks down "I'm losing everyone, everything. I don't know how to fix things anymore, I'm not even sure I can. I know what you would say 'Swallow your pride and do the right thing'. But what is the right thing? I'm not sure the right thing is the same for Robin and for me now. I think our path together has come to an end. Don't worry, I won't run away! I won't leave the camp, I love them all too much to even consider the idea. I already lost you, and it nearly killed me. But even if I stay, I'm afraid I'll lose my friends too."

She swallows a sob, her bottom lip trembling as tears gather in her eyes, forcing her to look up to blink them back, but it's pointless. She looks down at the stone again, and they fall down her cheeks as she says in a strangled voice "I don't know what to do. I'm not sure I'll survive another loss."

She bursts into tears, tears she can't hold back anymore. It's the first time in weeks that she lets herself go that way, that she shows her vulnerability, her doubts, her fears. There is no one to hear it but her, she thinks. No one but her, and a stone, and trees, and birds, and the depths of the forest.

Actually, that's not true, but she doesn't know that. She's crying with everything she has, does not hold back a single tear, so she doesn't hear them. She doesn't hear the crack of a branch behind her, nor the person approaching slowly. So she jumps and turns around quickly, a hand over her racing heart, when she hears "'Gina? Why you crying?"

She meets the blue eyes of a blond-haired two year old and the soft look of his father, and hurries to wipe the tears away from her face but does not bother to raise from where she is.

She doesn't have time to form a coherent answer before the little boy runs towards her, jumping on her lap and wrapping his tiny tiny arms around her neck, and she lets him,  _lets him in_ , hugs him against her chest and closes her eyes to feel completely the love and care of this sweet child who loves without condition and complication.

She runs a hand in his hair, kisses his head, and pulls back just enough to look at him, keeping him close enough to feel that soothing feeling of a human's warmth and tenderness she's craving for.

"It's nothing, honey. I'm feeling better already, thanks to my favorite little thief," she says softly, tickling him and reveling his wonderful and innocent laugh.

When she stops, he's still grinning widely at her, but he frowns, his brow knitting in confusion at the remnants of tears on her face, consciously wipes her cheeks with the palm of his hands, and Regina doesn't care if he's pressing too hard and it hurts a little. It's the first time in weeks she allows someone to take care of her, and even if it's a child and it's not his job, it feels so good that she can't find it in herself to push him away.

"Look papa! Gina crying no more," he says excitedly, turning to his father.

John looks warmly at them, smiling at the sight in front of him. "That's right, little man. I think she really needs you right now."

A genuine chuckle comes out of her throat as the boy gives a wet kiss on her cheek, before snuggling against her chest the way he's used to when he decides he wants the comfort of her arms for a while. So she gives him what he wants, and realized is something that she needs, and she meets John's eyes, gives him a soft smile that tells him he can get closer, she's in no state to shut him out right now. So he does, takes a seat next to her on the ground as she's rocking Connor slowly, the boy playing with a lock of her hair.

"I heard what you said, Regina. You are not losing us." she opens her mouth to speak but he insists. " _You are not!_  We are giving you space, because that's what you asked for, but there is no way we are letting you down. We miss you, all of us. You can pretend you don't care as much as you want, but we know you. You need us, and we need you. You don't want to talk to Robin? You can't forgive him? Fine. We will deal with it. Together! We won't take sides, what is going on between the two of you doesn't include us. But it also means that we won't stand back and watch you destroy everything you fought so hard to built either."

This time, she's the one who makes physical contact. She grabs his hand, and squeezes as she nods, smiling weakly when he covers her hand with his other. He scoots closer, and she leans against him, rests her head on his shoulder as he wraps an arm around hers, and she holds Connor while John holds her, and for the first time in weeks, she allows herself to feel and be loved, even if it's not by the man she desperately wants.

* * *

_Present_

" _Oh, there is something you should know before I tell you the next part! I almost forgot, but he played his role in what happened later._

_When we officially became the Merry Men and decided to steal from the rich and give to the poor, we also drew the ire of the Sheriff upon us. Nottingham's sheriff was a very despicable man, smug and stupid, but rough, who didn't care at all about everyone else but him. Robin was dying to teach him a lesson. It happened not long before the Fitzwalters entered our lives. Robin planned to rob the sheriff, and also make fun of him._

_One night, he entered his house, and took everything of value he could carry. He also removed the door so when the sheriff woke up, half the village was looking at him, tied up to the bed and naked, only covered by a very thin sheet, the room emptied from a good part of its contents, an arrow in the wall above his head, signing the misdeed._

_From that day, the sheriff forgot about us, about the Merry Men. He only had eyes for Robin. And like everyone expected, it had consequences. Except he turned out to be less stupid and more dangerous than we thought, and someone got hurt."_

* * *

Ten days later

"I'm still convinced it's a trap," Regina mutters from her hiding spot.

They had information about a carriage carrying the taxes from Nottingham's people taking the road they are watching in about five minutes, and Robin decided it would be the best opportunity to kick the Sheriff in the teeth again. Regina argued with him, told him it didn't feel right, something was off, it was too easy, but their relationship had deteriorated so badly during the last month –him getting ready for his wedding with Marian doing nothing to help in the matter, it ended up with them shouting at each other, their friends powerless trying to calm them, until Tuck grabbed Regina's arm and led her out of the tent, where she just walked angrily away from the camp and showed up hours later, missing the supper and dismissing every person who tried to talk to her, before heading straight for her tent.

Little John and Alan filled her with the plan the next morning, over a very tensed breakfast, and if she just nodded and didn't voice a word, she kept thinking it was all a bad idea.

"Robin knows what he's doing. It's not because you're mad at him that you have to consider every one of his decisions as reckless," Tucks reasons gently.

Regina gives him a stern look, before turning her attention back on the road.

"It's not that! Nottingham has been after Robin for months now, and this opportunity is just too good to be true. It's almost like he wants us to be here. And Robin is too blind to see it."

"Regina, don't take it the wrong way, but are you sure you're not letting your feelings cloud your judgment? Things between you two have been worse since he prop-"

She shushes him suddenly as she spots the carriage turning on the road and heading towards them. Everything seems perfect. Three guards, a piece of cake.

They wait for the signal, and as soon as Robin's arrow lands in front of the horses, startling them and halting their pace, they step out of the forest.

It takes Regina less than 30 seconds to realize something is wrong. But by then, it's too late. The moment they're all out in the open, the carriage's door swings open to reveal five more guards and a very, very, very smug and proud Sheriff. In less than a minute, ten men join them from each side of the road, aiming their weapons at each of the Merry Men, including herself. Because of their information only talking about a small number of guards, not all of her friends came, and it's only fifteen of them, so they're outnumbered, almost one to two.

But the Sheriff's men are not good archers, nor fighters, and the Merry Men always managed to beat them in the past. Although, they've never been in that position before, the prey and not the hunter, surprised and not surprising, and especially, trapped by so many soldiers, some of them armoring the uniform of King Georges' troops. Looks like the sheriff asked for some reinforcement this time.

Glancing around, Regina has a gut feeling that this is not going to end well...

"Finally!" the Sheriff gloats. "The famous Robin Hood, within my reach. This is going to be a celebration day!"

He walks slowly ahead of him, his eyes scanning the hoods in front of him.

"Come on, show yourself! Be a man, don't hide under a hood!"

It takes a few seconds, but Robin does step forward, removing the cloak from his face before pulling on the string of his bow again, aiming it at the sheriff.

"You were clever enough to set up a trap! I'm impressed!" Robin smirks, but Nottingham is not touched by his light tone and mockery. Instead, he nods at the bow and arrow still aimed at him.

"What do you want to do? Shoot me?" Nottingham spits. "Then you'll have to bear the death of your precious Merry Men. Because if you do, my men will release their arrows too, and this will be a blood bath."

Regina burries her head further in her hood, hiding her face from the Sheriff, thinking of a way to get them out of here. Nottingham has twice more men, and every guard is targeting either Robin, herself, or one of their friends. It's going to be tricky to find a way out without any of them getting hurt.

She glances at Robin, sees his features tense, and he hesitates, but drops his bow slowly, Nottingham's smirk and smugness growing wider.

"That's what I thought," he nods. "Now, you're gonna be nice and surrender to me. You have my word that no harm will come to your men if you do."

"As if your word ever had value in the past," Robin bites.

The sheriff brings a hand to his belt, reaching for a rolled parchment, and holds it in front of him, forcing Robin to step closer in order to take it. As he opens the royal seal, the sheriff resumes, "This is a pardon from King Georges for all of your men. If you accept the terms, I have order to release them the minute you're safely on your way for his dungeons. He's tired of you wandering around in his kingdom. If you don't, I have his approval to hang all of you by tomorrow morning."

Regina curses in her head. This is not good. After years of failure trying to get them, the sheriff finally decided to use a very dangerous card; The King. Notthingham is under King Georges' leadership, and the man is known to be ruthless, especially to people attacking his pride –and well, they indeed robbed a few of his hosts or own carriages. He claimed their heads more than once, but never before did he actually do something to stop them. Looks like he finally changed his mind.

"Drop your weapons!" Robin orders suddenly, startling her, but no one moved.

Regina's brain is working fast, really fast. She can't let that happen. She can't let her family be torn apart by that jerk. She quickly assesses the situation. If she can distract the Sheriff's men for even a second, she knows her friends will be eager to react and though it will lead to a fight, they'll at least have a chance to get out of this situation.

Regina quickly checks her surroundings and it takes her a handful of seconds to decide what she will do. As she sees the Sheriff's patience running off, none of his 'prisoners' reacting to Robin's order, she nods at Tuck to make him understand to get ready, glances at the soldier aiming at her, waits for a moment of distraction as he looks at his superior, and she changes the angle of her arrow, pointing it at the horse. She doesn't want to hurt the animal, but she has no choice. The lives of her friends,  _Robin's life_ , depend on that shot. She knows if she hits a soldier, all of them will release their arrows. They're probably just waiting for that, actually. But they are not expecting this... Well, it's a long shot, but it's the best idea she came up with.

The moment the arrow scratches the back of the horse, making him rear, her friends don't lose a second. The battle starts immediately, and arrows and swords swing and fly in every direction.

The surprise allows them to take the advantage, she can see it, but they're not out of trouble yet. Screams of rage and pain come to her ears, but she tries not to focus on those, because she needs all her concentration to survive the worst fight they were ever taken into.

She takes down two guards with her arrows, hitting one on his thigh, one in his right shoulder, not killing them but rendering them useless, before a sound makes her turn around, finding another soldier ready to slice her throat with his sword. She avoids it at the last second, but looses her bow in the process, the weapon falling on the floor, out of her reach. She doesn't even take a moment to breathe, reacts immediately by grabbing one dagger in each hand and facing her opponent.

It's one of the King's men. Tall, all muscles and rage, a giant blade in his hand, laughing wickedly at her. He still can't see her face, and she's hidden in large -though comfortable enough to fight- clothes that make her appear more thick and strong than she actually is, but it's a good thing. She can use it at her advantage.

He swings his sword unexpectantly, and she jerks back, but he manages to slice her clothes and cut her at the waist in the process. It's a scratch, nothing important, not even enough to really slow her down, but it hurts nonetheless, her muscles and skin stirring the wound with every movement and making her wince in pain. She shakes her head quickly to recover, her eyes wide open when he attacks again, this time blocking the blow with her daggers, and she pushes with all her strength against his sword, manages at the last second to deviate it and jump aside to avoid the sharp blade.

Their gazes are locked, none backing down, and she knows with the length of his sword she won't be able to get close enough to hit him, and the metallic armor he's wearing is also narrowing the available spaces for her to stab him. Damn, why did she bring her daggers instead of her sword? She could really use it right now.

But she's not one to give up so easily, and she's resourceful, so she wracks her brain, tries to find a solution to get out of this alive. She only has one way around it, she thinks. So she starts moving faster as he keeps attempting to stab her, forces him to quicken his pace to reach her. She exhausts him, waits from him to breathe heavily under his heavy armor, and on the next strike he is slower. She uses that moment to move quickly behind him, and hit him behind his knee hard enough so he falls on his knees in front of her with a groan. Without losing a second, she reaches for his head and brings the blade to his throat, finding the space between his armor and his helmet, closing her eyes before ending the fight for good.

She takes a second to breathe after that, adrenaline cursing through her veins, because for once she really was afraid she would not win this fight. She doesn't like taking a life, but it was him or her. She would have never been able to simply knock this one down, and he would have killed her without flinching if given the chance.

Regina can't allow herself to be comfortable though, so she straightens her spine, glances around, and finds the center of the battle a few feet away from her, since she led her opponent out of it. A good amount of soldiers are on the ground, dead or passed out, she doesn't know, and doesn't care, but there is still a lot of them standing and fighting, it's not over, and if she's under the impression that all of her friends are still alive, she notices quite a few start to show signs of weakness. She herself brings a hand to her waist, acknowledges the blood on her hand, grits her teeth at the pain, but she doesn't have time for that, she needs to go help them.

She tucks her daggers into her belt, and retrieves her bow from the floor. She then looks around for another target, tries to decide who needs help the most. That's when she sees him.

A few meters away from the heart of the fight, a guard no one has noticed until now, aiming his bow at...

Her heart misses a beat when she understands who his target is. But she can't shoot the man from where she is, doesn't have the right angle, so she runs, hitting in the teeth a soldier trying to get a hold on her. Her hood falls over her shoulders as she does, but it's the least of her problems.

She yells his name, but he's too caught up in a sword fight and there's too much noise anyway. She glances at the guard while she's still running. He hasn't seen her, is still waiting for the right moment.

She steps between the archer and Robin, her back on the latter, at the exact second he wins his duel. She releases the string of her bow the moment she stops, letting her arrow fly straight into the guard's chest – Notthingham's men don't wear steel's armor, and she's so grateful for that at the moment. She's vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but as she takes another breath, an excruciating pain suddenly ran through her, and she stumbles back.

Robin gathers her in his arms before she falls, and takes her out of the battle, behind a nearby bush on the side of the road. He heard her arrive behind him, and after he was done with his opponent he turned around just in time to notice not only the arrow leaving her bow and taking down a soldier, but also the one flying directly toward them. He screamed her name as he saw it hit its target, and Regina taking the blow without even realizing it. He knew the minute she felt it, saw her lose her balance and fall in his arms.

With Eric's help, who witnessed the whole scene, he lies her gently on the ground, not caring for the battle raging next to them, not noticing the Sheriff's stunned look at the sight of a woman among them. Thankfully, his moment of inattention makes him win a violent knock on the head, and he has to turn his back on them to properly engage the fight with Little John.

Robin brings Regina to his chest, holds her close, shivers and winces and tightens his grip on her when he hears her moan in pain, one of his hands immediately reaching her abdomen where the arrow is buried.

"It doesn't look good," he hears Eric breathe as he examines the injury.

There's blood. So much blood. He wants to press on the wound, but is afraid to cause more damage, so he just lets his hand there, soon covered by hers, bringing him back from his stupor. She's looking at him, and he finally sees the sparkle he missed so much back in her eyes, that fierceness he loves in her, except this time it's melted with fear and pain. Her breath is short, and he can tell she's trying to hide from him how scared she really is, how strong the pain must be. She brings a hand to his face, smiling weakly as he leans into the warm feeling it provides.

"Why did you do that?" he asks frantically, but his voice is tainted with strangled sobs and panic.

"I couldn't let you die," she simply says, her fingers softly stroking his cheek.

"It's my fault. I should have listened to you, when you told me to be careful. You were right, I'm sorry, I-"

He fumbles with his words, but she shakes her head, stops him with her thumb on his lips and her fingers hooked under his jaw.

"You have to leave! Now!"

"What?" he exclaims, shocked, breaking the contact with her fingers on his mouth. "I won't leave you here!" he protests, and he barely notices Tuck kneeling next to them.

"I just took an arrow for you, Robin. Don't make me regret it by getting caught," she argues with authority, despite the weakness in her voice. "Go! I'll be fine."

"She's right, Robin, you can't stay here." Eric insists.

"There's no way I'm abandoning her!" he answers harshly, but Eric just gives him a sad smile. Looking down, Robin insists, "I'm not leaving without you, Regina!"

"You have to," she whispers, her brow furrowing in pain and he shakes his head, his hand leaving the wound to cup her jaw, another refusal on his tongue but he doesn't have time to voice it.

Tuck's hand firmly grips his forearm, bringing Robin's gaze up to his.

"Robin, think! It's a two hours ride to the camp, and she's in no state to go. Even if we scatter in the forest, Nottingham will go after you. If you stay with her, either she will slow you down and you will get caught, or she won't make it to the camp alive. I'll take care of her. I'll take her to a healer."

Robin's eyes flicker between Regina, Tuck and Eric, uncertainty written in it. He knows they're right. If Nottingham has to choose, he will chase him. Except that Regina is injured badly, and he doesn't want to leave her, not now, not like that, not when there are still so many things hanging between them. But he also knows if he gets caught, then what she just did for him, the reason why his men are caught up in a fight right now, would be for nothing.

He's pulled out of his thought by Eric suddenly grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to bend down, as an arrow just passes over their heads.

They've been spotted!

Regina tightens her grip on his hand, bringing his attention back to her as she murmurs with authority, "You have to leave, Robin!  _Now_! Eric, you go with him and you  _don't_  let him come back for me! You head straight for the camp!" she orders, and the dark-haired man squeezes her arm in acceptance.

When his friend grabs his shoulder to tell him to get up, Robin just nods, his fingers brushing a strand of hair out of Regina's face, hers looping around his wrist gently, as if she needed to deepen the physical contact between them too. His voice is nothing but serious and determined when he looks at Tuck.

"You bring her back to me. Safe!"

"I promise."

Robin bends forward to drop a kiss on Regina's forehead, the hand stroking her neck refusing to let go, his lips anchored to her skin, his nose brushing her hairline. But he has to, and reluctantly he loosens his grip on her with a heavy heart. When he lifts his head, he realizes Alan has joined them too, informs them their friends are going to give them as much time as they can to escape. He looks around and is vaguely aware of Nottingham caught up in sword fight with John before noticing the guard who shot the arrow a minute ago walking toward their hiding spot. Robin gets up in one movement, sees the man quicken his pace but he doesn't have time to do or say anything, as an arrow pierces throughout his neck.

Arthur's voice comes to his hear "We have this, Robin! Just go!"

He hesitates for half a second, gives a last look to Regina, already clutching to Tuck's neck as he helps her stand, and runs in the opposite direction, Alan and Eric on his heels.


	8. Love again : Chapter 8

_Present_

_She absentmindedly brings a hand to her abdomen, where the arrow hit her. It's been months, more than a year, and there's only a scar left, but the memory is still vivid in her mind. She remembers the pain as if it was yesterday._

" _I really thought I was going to die. Honestly, I'm not sure how I survived. I guess it wasn't my time._

 _After Robin left, Tuck and I headed in a different direction. We had no idea where we were going, but in some way luck was on our side. Shortly after leaving the battlefield, we crossed path with a man. A strange man, I must say. A loner, for sure. He was wearing a long cape over his clothes, had a quiver in hand and bow over the shoulder. Ordinary, you would say. Except a wolf was with him. Yes!_ A wolf _. And its eyes... One was blood-red and the other was black as night. It didn't attack us though, despite my blood spread everywhere on us. Tuck asked the huntsman to help us, and first he refused, hesitated, but I was growing weaker, and losing consciousness, and Tuck begged him, told him things I wasn't coherent enough to understand._

_The man accepted at some point, because I woke up lying on a bed, surrounded by people I didn't know, and the pain was so intense that I passed out from it. I was so exhausted. I remember soup and water being forced down my throat, but the memories are so vague, I'm not sure I was fully conscious while all of that was happening. There were voices, and chantings, something that sounded like prayers, but I was too weak to focus on them._

_Tuck told me the man led us to a monastery near where we met him. The priests were said to be good healers, so he hoped it would be enough. But the weird part, was that... he didn't leave after I was being taken care of. He stayed, to make sure I was okay. When I got better, I tried to talk to him, but he was wild at first. I could sense he didn't trust strangers; or rather, he didn't trust humans."_

_After my injury had been taken care of, I got an infection, and I almost died a second time. I was sweating and trembling and delirious. I was seeing you, and Robin, and my parents, and everything was mixed together, nothing made sense. But in my rare moments of clarity, I made the promise to myself that if I survived this, I would be honest with Robin about how I felt. I would finish that talk Marian interrupted months before, and I wouldn't take it back this time. I didn't care about how he would react, I just wanted him to know the truth. I didn't want to die with regrets."_

* * *

Seventeen months earlier

As soon as Robin steps into the church, he walks straight to his friend, waiting for him at the pulpit. He takes Tuck in his arm, the man clapping his shoulder affectionately.

When he recedes, Robin wastes no time and asks "Where is she?"

Tuck gestures toward an old wooden door in the shadow behind them, and leads him along a long corridor. It's silent, Robin notices. Not a sound, not a breath, not a living soul. It's almost scary, but he's too anxious to let this place unsettle him. He needs to see her, he needs to make sure she's okay, that she's alive. He needs to see her with his own eyes, touch her, talk to her, know that it is not a dream.

Tuck comes to a stop in front of a door at the end of the hallway, and knocks. When no one answers, he opens it slowly, popping his head inside to make sure he's not disturbing anyone.

Robin freezes when he sees her, his body so shaken at the sight of her that he finds himself rooted to the floor, his heart beating so frantically in his chest that it's pounding in his ears, tears blurring his vision, but he blinks them back.

She's here. Laying on a simple bed, covered by a thick blanket, one hand next to her sleeping face, the other on her abdomen. She seems so peaceful like this, hair spread over the pillow, head slightly turned to the side, features relaxed. Her face is thinner than he remembers but God, she's the most beautiful vision he's ever seen!

He can't tear his eyes away from her, takes a moment to watch her chest raising and falling regularly with every breath, because he needs to make sure he's not imagining her being alive and breathing in front of him.

And then he starts moving again, takes a step forward, another, and before he realizes it he's kneeling by her side, one hand covering hers on her abdomen and the other stroking her forehead. She slightly moves and sighs under his touch, but doesn't wake.

Robin turns his head looking at Tuck, who has now closed the door and is joining them. He sits on the bed next to Regina's legs, his voice low not to disturb her sleep.

"We found this place not long after leaving you. The friars took care of her, and luckily the healer wasn't far and arrived quickly. She'd lost a lot of blood, but they managed to remove the arrow without doing more damage, and stopped the bleeding. They had to clean and close her wounds, and then she started recovering. But when we thought she was finally healed she got a severe infection. We almost lost her," he whispers, head down, remembering the nights he spent by her side, praying again and again for her to stay with them, to come back to them, because she still had a life to live and she had fought too hard to give up just now.

"But she will be alright?"

Robin's voice is full of hope, but it's tainted with fear. He spent the last month worrying over her, unable to form a coherent thought. He had canceled every mission with his men –none of them were in the mood anyway, and after the last fiasco he just couldn't bring himself to trust his own judgment again. The ambiance at the camp was desperately cold and sad. No more singings, dancing, or cheering. People were recovering from their injuries, and everyone was missing Regina and Tuck, everyone was worried sick about them.

"Yes. The worse is behind her now," Tuck assures, a hand covering his friend's shoulder in reassurance.

Robin nods, and Regina chooses that exact moment to stir and open her eyes. She blinks a few times, her gaze still sleepy, and it takes her a moment to realize that the face smiling at her is not Tuck's or one of the priests. When she recognizes him, her face lights up, a wide smile settling on her lips, eyes shining with joy, the same feeling radiating from his face.

"Robin!" she breathes, and something that looks like half a sob, half a laugh shakes her body. She doesn't think when she throws her arms around his neck, holding him tight, forcing him to sit on the bed next to her as she doesn't release him. He's surprised at first, but quickly responds by circling her waist and bringing her closer to him, his nose buried in her hair, breathing in the soft scent of her he missed so much.

Tuck's quick pace to leave the room and give them privacy goes unnoticed by both of them. They're too caught up in the moment to realize the world around them is still spinning.

It takes all their willpower, but they finally pull back. Robin helps her sit comfortably against the cushions, before taking her hands in his, his gaze never leaving her, his smile never fading.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asks as soon as she's settled.

"Better now."

Her smile is genuine, but shy, a little embarrassed. She may have saved his life the last time they saw each other, but their relationship before that was messy and complicated, and despite the rush of affection they both just shared, she's not sure where they stand. She thought about him every one of her waking moments over the last month, praying to see him again, hoping to finally be able to tell him he was right, she was an idiot, she was scared and she pushed him away and made them both suffer when they could have been happy together. But now that he's here and she finally has the opportunity to tell him all that, she remembers he was engaged when she disappeared, and is probably happily married now.

"I'm so glad to see you!" He's not as embarrassed as she is, and he never stops smiling, looking at her like she's a marvel, like she's all he ever wanted, like she's the most important person in his life. "I missed you so much," he confesses, a finger raising to trace the line of her jaw, making her shiver and raising goosebumps all over her skin. She smiles sheepishly, dropping her gaze to their linked hands, not daring to look at him in the eyes, despite the true sincerity of her words.

"I missed you too."

She doesn't see him frown, and when he lifts his hand again it's to cup her chin and force her to look up at him, a questioning look in his eyes.

"I can see there's something bothering you," he states. "What is it?"

She wants to advert her gaze, but she can't. She gets lost in those blue eyes of his that she feared she'd never see again for a few seconds, before catching herself, sighing deeply.

"It's just... I thought I was going to die, and there were so many things I wanted to tell you. And now you're here, and I'm not delirious with fever anymore, it's real, and it all seems so... inappropriate."

The last word is lower than a whisper, and he has to force his ear to hear it. His frown grows deeper, and she can almost hear him thinking, trying to make sense of what she just said.

"You know you can tell me anything!" he assures, squeezing her hand tightly.

Regina hesitates, doesn't know where to start, doesn't know if she has to be completely honest with him or just make him understand where the problem lies. As she's looking at him and thinks of those last few months, those last years, all this time lost to fear and dread and misplaced pride, she decides she spent too much time shutting him out. It caused them their friendship, pain, sadness, and probably her almost mortal wound. She needs to stop being afraid, she needs to grow up, and take responsibilities for her actions. She can't hide behind lies anymore, can't take back what she says because things don't go the way she wants. She almost died with the regret of not having been honest enough, she won't make the same mistake again.

She takes a deep breath, grips his fingers, and says honestly, "I'm sorry."

His answer is immediate "What?"

"I've been acting stupid, because I was scared," she resumes, ignoring his intervention. "I ruined everything between us because I couldn't admit what was right in front of me. I know I shouldn't say this because you're engaged and maybe even married, and honestly if you would accept for us just to go back to being friends again it would be enough, probably even more than what I deserve. But I really need to let everything out, I can't hold it back much longer, not after all this hiding has cost us."

She hears Robin's breath hitch in his throat and the apprehension takes her but she chooses to ignore it and be a grown-up this time, assume her feelings. "Robin, I... The reason why I reacted that way is because..." As she looks into his eyes, she's surprised to find them shining with hope, and the unexpected feeling leaves her speechless for a moment, before she comes back to her senses, clearing her throat, anxious, forcing herself not to break eye-contact, "I'm in love with you."

She tenses as she confesses those last words, expecting to be rejected at any moment. So she's more than astonished when he just closes the space between them, gathering her face in his hands, and bringing her lips to his.

The kiss is soft first, just a press of lip to lip, but as soon as he feels her respond to him, it grows needier, deeper, and his hands leave her cheeks to weave in her hair, hers clutching to his jacket and his neck, the tip of her fingers getting lost in the nape of his neck to keep him close. She opens her mouth willingly when he seeks entrance, tongues dancing widely together, and it feelss so wonderful, goosebumps raising all over her skin, butterflies growing in her belly and she can't suppress a low moan, which he answers by bringing her even closer.

The lack of air forces them to break the kiss, leaving both of them breathless, forehead against forehead, smiling. They don't release the hold they have on the other while they catch their breaths, and Robin murmurs in the space between them, looking at her right in the eyes "I thought you'd never say it."

She chuckles, leans back a little, just enough to feel more comfortable and not put pressure over her still healing wound. He doesn't let her go though, leans forward to stay close to her, kissing her again softly before admitting, "I love you, Regina. I've been madly in love with you since the first day I let you cry in my arms. Hell, maybe even before that!"

Robin's confession brings a broad smile to her face, but the reality strikes again. All the lightness between them is suddenly gone as Regina pulls back of his embrace, her light behavior replaced by anxiety and guilt. He's confused as he tries to catch her erratic gaze, finally stilling her by bringing his hand to her chin.

"Hey there! What's wrong?"

Regina's eyes are filled with worry, and he doesn't want that, doesn't want her to slip out of his grip again, not now that he has her back, so he keeps going, hoping to keep her with him, his voice almost desperate, "Talk to me, Regina! Don't shut me out again,  _please_!"

She opens her mouth to speak, but it's barely a whisper that comes out of it "We can't. Marian..."

Realization hits Robin too as he straightens his spine, because of course she doesn't know, he should have told her sooner. So he smiles deeply, and Regina's eyebrow shoots up in surprise at his unexpected reaction. "Regina, I broke our engagement even before I had received the news that you were alive!"

Regina's eyes open wider "You did? Why?"

Robin chuckles softly.

"Do you really think I could have married her after realizing how much you mean to me, and that you are the only one I want to spend my life with? I didn't even know if you were alive or dead, but I knew I loved you too much to marry someone else. Regina," he calls, making sure he has her full attention before talking again, "I stopped everything the day I left you."

She stays silent, the fact he cared enough about her to cancel such an important event in his life still a bit unbelievable, the fact that he chose her even more bewildering.

"The whole camp stopped living when you and Tuck disappeared. I don't know what would have happened to us if you hadn't made it back alive," he explains, and she tilts her head to the side, touched.

After that day at Daniel's stone with Little John and Connor, she had started to realize how important she was for them. But hearing it again, knowing how affected they had been by her life-threatening injury, made her heart flutter with happiness and love.

This revelation brings her emotions back to the surface, and she jumps in Robin's arms again, wincing and letting out a small groan when her wound makes itself known. But she ignores it, instead, holds onto him, revels in the wonderful feeling of his arms around her waist, his palms against her back, his breath against her skin, the knowledge that he is hers again and this time, she's  _his_.

She lets sobs shake her body, Robin's grip tightens while she buries her face in his neck and finally lets go of her fear of never being able to find a family who loves her for who she is and not who they want her to be.

They stay in their bubble, in the light state of mind their recent confession has put them into, for a little while. They kiss again, grinning at each other when their mouths are apart, sometimes talking, wrapped in each other's arms and always making physical contact, always looking at each other, catching up with all those months of resentment and arguments, of pain and hurt, of anger and self-loathing.

A small knock on the door startles them, but they don't separate, just put a small distance between them as Tuck makes his way into the room.

He smiles softly when he notices their proximity, can't help to find relief in the fact they both probably and finally admitted what they've been too stubborn to accept for years.

But his smile fades when his gaze lands on Robin, his words specifically meant for him, "Marian is here, she wants to see you."

He notices how Regina flinches at the mention of Robin's ex-fiancé, how doubt and fear settle for a second in her eyes. But Robin just nods, turns toward her, grabbing both her hands and bringing them to his mouth, kissing her knuckles softly before saying, "I'll talk to her, and then I'm coming back to you, and only you. I promise."

Regina's nod is shy, unsure, and Robin feels the need to wipe her anxiety away. He brings her face to him, kissing her again, a gentle kiss, a promise he will be back. He presses another one to her brow, gets up, and walks back slowly, facing her until he can't anymore and has to turn to get out of the room.

* * *

_Present_

" _It turns out that Tuck, ignoring Robin had cancelled his wedding, used Marian as a messenger to get to him without alerting the sheriff, who was actively looking for us. He thought it would be better if it wasn't a direct delivery, and he hoped Nottingham wouldn't be bold enough to visit the Fitzwalters, who were a family of good reputation. The huntsman actually offered to bring her the letters, much to everyone's surprise. He was still defiant, but I managed to draw a few words from him from time to time when I was getting my strength back. I was curious, and it was a good distraction. He was frustrating, especially because he stubbornly refused to tell me his name! He intrigued me, and I liked the mysterious side of him, the crack I could see in his eyes. Because behind the mask, I knew he was a good man."_

_She shakes her head, refocusing on her story._

" _Anyway, Marian gave Robin all the messages that were delivered to her one after the other. The first one told him that I was alive, but still not out of danger. Then that I was better, recovering slowly. And finally, it gave him the location of where we were hiding, telling him he could come to see me. She was hurt, but insisted to come with him anyway, despite his protests. I think she really loved him, and had trouble letting him go. When he came back after seeing her one last time, I was so relieved. Despite our conversation and his promise, I was still scared he would leave with her. But he never did._

_We spent the rest of the day talking. A lot. We had acknowledged our feelings for each other, but we didn't want anything else to come between us, especially not left over resentment from the last months. So we unloaded. Everything. I told him how truly hurt I had been, the reasons that stopped me from forgiving him before, and he told me about Marian. He told me how for weeks, he tried to make it work, to get over me, to forget me, until the point where it actually worked. I still remember his face, so sheepish when he confessed he managed to develop feelings for her, that yes, somehow, he loved her. He was quick to reassure me that all of that had been wiped away with the recent events and the fear of losing me, but I understood. I wasn't bitter anymore. I was grateful. I was alive, and he was there, and that was all that mattered now._

_After all our feelings were out in the open, he shared news of the camp with us. He confessed that everyone was impatient for us to come back, and that he had to argue with all he had to stop them from coming with him. I was so happy, Daniel! I had the man I loved back, and upon all my dreams, this time, he was really mine."_

* * *

The next day

"I swear! Eric misses you! He complains that no one is able to fight with him like you do, and I almost had to tie him up to a tree so he wouldn't follow me."

Regina and Tuck laugh at the story. Eric has been one of them for more than two years, and he is a very loyal and reliable friend and fighter. But he is also full of pride and prompt to criticize the other sex, especially since Regina, still the only woman in the camp training with the men, was more often than not kicking his ass in pretty much everything they did.

"Well believe it or not, I miss him too. I like him, smugness and all. He's a good guy," she says, her head finding its place back on Robin's shoulder, where it's been tucked since he entered her room, since he sat next to her on the bed and just wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her to him.

"And I think he doesn't really think before he speaks. He's just really bad at losing, and Regina is one of the only ones who's not afraid to hush him up on the training field," Tuck adds.

A wide smile is on the woman's lips at the mention of the camp. She can't wait to be back! She can't wait to see and hug them all! She misses them, so much. The healer advised her to wait a few more days before heading back home, since it would be a long journey, even by horse. But being wrapped in Robin's arms, laughing with Tuck and the knowing that she will see them soon is enough for now.

"Oh, and Tuck!" Robin exclaims, drawing his friend's attention. "John wanted me to tell you, that you, and I quote 'better bring your damn ass in one piece, I need my drinking buddy back!'"

A welcomed and genuine laugh takes them all, and Tuck shakes his head, smiling. Some things will never change. His friendship with John is so strong sometimes it feels like they really are sharing the same blood, because it overcomes everything.

"I bet Alan tried to beat my drinking record."

"Oh he did!" Robin chuckles "The night we learned both of you were finally safe. But he failed miserably! John is still giving him shit about it."

"Robin?" Regina asks softly, looking up at him. "You never told us what happened after we split up during the battle. Did everyone manage to come back home safely?"

He shifts on the bed, faces her more fully, and nods.

"Yes, they did. A good number was badly injured though, but none of their lives were in danger. Alan, Eric and I were the first ones to reach the camp. The wait for the others was unbearable, Amelia was barely holding herself together when I told her what happened to you, and that Little John was still out there. But they arrived slowly, in small groups of two or three. They told us they resisted as long as possible to give us the time to escape, but as soon as they could, they split up, quit fighting and just ran in the forest, using the element of surprise to their advantage. They took different roads to come back. They knew Georges' soldiers were not as acquainted with the forest as we are, and we threw Nottingham's men off more than once. They arrived in dribs and drabs, the last ones making it to the camp more than 5 hours after me. As you can imagine, John was one of them. Amelia was so pissed and relieved at the same time she yelled at him in front of everyone. And I think she was mad at me for abandoning you."

"Robin, you didn't–" she cuts him but he raises his hand to stop her.

"I know you think I didn't but it felt that way! I was killing myself with guilt, and she must have realized it because she stopped blaming me quickly. Eric told her that we had no choice and she calmed down, especially after seeing how miserable I was." Regina brings a hand to his face, a sad look in her eyes. "I was supposed to see Marian a few days after we came back, and I had to drag myself there. She immediately saw something was wrong, and I told her everything before she spoke a word. I told her you'd been hit trying to save me and that I had no idea where you were, or if you were alive. That's when she gave me the first letter. She said she already knew, that someone had delivered a message for me, that it was about you two. After I read it, I spilled out why I came to see her for without caring if I was being rude. I told her that having to leave you behind, that knowing you were fighting to survive somewhere unknown to me, made me realize how deeply I was in love with you. I told her that I couldn't marry her, that I loved her but wasn't  _in_  love with her, that I couldn't make her happy and that she deserved better than a man longing for another woman."

"How did she take the news?" Tuck asks softly when Robin halts his story, short of breath and his heart heavy.

He tilts his head up to look at his friend, blindly bringing Regina's head to his lips and kissing her forehead, his fingers weaving in her hair.

"She was shocked, and angry. She kept her composure in front of me, but I could see the tears in her eyes. I know I hurt her, but I also knew that if I had lost you to death," he says, looking down at Regina, "it would have destroyed me too. There was no way I could be with Marian anymore. She would have never been enough, and I would have been a ghost without you."

Tears gather in her eyes as she is truly touched by his statement. Her heart is squeezing for Marian, because she knows exactly what the woman must be going through, and despite everything, she probably doesn't deserve it. But hearing how wrecked Robin was at the idea of losing her is raising a surge of love and care for the man and she can't help but bring his face to her, kissing him despite Tuck's presence. She smiles softly as she starts to pull back, but his eyes are dark with fear and he winds an arm around her shoulder, brings her back against him, his lips on her temple, his hand at the back of her head, holding her tight.

"Never scare me like that again, Regina.  _Never_ , you hear me?"

She's out of words, so she just nods, clutches to him even more, and it takes him a moment to let her go, as if he were afraid that by loosening his hold on her he would lose her again.

But he has to at some point, because someone knocks on the door. The healer and one of the friars are there, one holding his satchel, the other a tray with 3 steaming bowls.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I must check on you, Regina. It won't take long."

Robin disentangles himself from her arms after a last kiss, following Tuck outside as the priest puts the tray on the small wooden table in the corner of the room, closing the door behind the two men.

He takes his friend by the shoulder, gratitude in his blue eyes. "You do know I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did, right?"

Tuck ducks his head in acknowledgement. "I know. But Robin, being here and helping Regina also helped me."

"What do you mean?"

Tuck leads him a little further in the corridor before speaking again. "I have something to tell you. Regina already knows about it, and she accepted my decision. I do hope you will too."

xxx

5 days later

She steps out of the monastery to find Robin and Tuck almost ready to leave, and an alley of priests biding them goodbye.

Finally, she can go home. The journey back will be several hours long, the healer recommending a stop every half hour so she won't force herself too much, not that she minds. She's grateful for the cares and treatments she received, will forever be indebted to them for saving her life, but she can't wait to hug her friends again. It's been too long.

She watches Robin and Tuck share a thankful and warm handshake with the man and the priests, but when it's her turn to say goodbye, she's not that formal. She just pulls each and everyone of them in a tight embrace, breathing the most sincere and grateful  _thank you_  in their ears.

Regina stops in front of the huntsman, roots her feet to the ground in front of him, and grabs his hand. She knows he's not fond of human's touch, but she can't help it. She owes him her life too, after all. She stays silent, just looks at him as he does the same, and she smiles, makes it grow wider with every second, until he can't hold her gaze anymore, until a small smile tips the corner of his mouth up, and Regina grins in victory, winds an arm around his neck and knows he will accept the hug willingly this time.

Her lips next to his ear, she murmurs so only him can hear "I told you where I live. I'm trusting you with my life again, because you saved it, because you're a good man, and because I like you. So if you ever need help with anything, or if you want to visit, you know where to find me."

He nods, and releases her, his hands on her shoulders. "Take care of yourself, Regina."

She gives him a last smile, squeezes his hand, breathes a  _Thank you_  and then  _You too_ , and takes a step back.

She walks to Robin, who's holding his hand to help her mount the horse. He brought Rocinante, because just as the rest of the Merry Men the horse sensed her master's absence and Robin knew how deeply she and Regina loved each other. And he was right, the way she ran to her horse the minute she saw him four days ago gave him confirmation of what he already was certain.

When she accepts his help to climb onto the saddle, it's with a broad smile, and sparkle of joy and happiness in her eyes. She's radiant. He takes place behind her, grabs the reins, and with a last nod and wave of their hands to their newfound allies, they start their journey back home.

xxx

They know the moment the Merry Men spot them. They're on foot now, leading their horses through the trees. A loud and strong  _They're back_! reaches their ears, quickly followed by the opening sound of the entrance of the camp, and they barely have time to understand what's going on that they're all greeted by happy and cheerful men.

Regina has to let go of Robin's hand when each and every one of her friends pulls her in their arms, some of them swinging her in the air –Eric is one of them, which is not surprising her in the slightest. She can't remove the huge smile off of her face. She can't stop her heart from leaping with joy and beating frantically in her chest. She can't help the warm feeling of love and tenderness to fill her and run in her body as she looks at them.

Her eyes are almost shining with tears when she finally faces Little John. The man is one of her closest friends. She loves dearly every one of these men, but he has a special place in her heart. Their hug is longer, warmer, stronger than the others.

Robin catches the sight of them, smiles softly. He walks over towards Tuck, already in deep conversation with Alan, and they exchange a knowing glance before his friend pats his shoulder affectionately and walks past him and Regina, the other men following him.

"'Gina!"

The high-pitched voice of the two year old startles them all, and they turn to see a storm made of blond hair, blue eyes and bright toothy smile running toward them.

Regina bends to catch him just in time, and lifts him off the ground, swinging him in the air, the echo of their laughs being heard at the other side of the camp. She settles him on her hip, hugging him tight, kissing his cheeks, his nose, almost crying with joy. It's only now that she realizes how deeply she missed this little boy, the depth of her love for him.

A shy hand on her shoulder makes her turn around, and her smile grows even wider when she opens her free arm to bring Amelia against her, the emotion obvious on her friend's face.

She's happy. Truly happy. She can't bring herself to pull away from the woman's embrace, feels her hold on her tightening as they both struggle to keep the tears at bay.

"Mommy, 'Gina's gift!" Connor reminds, making them pull back and Amelia chuckles at the questioning look of the other woman.

"Come here, little man! Let's get your aunt 'Gina the surprise you made for her."

She squeezes her friend's hand one last time, gathers her son in her arms, before entering the camp, a broad smile on her face.

Regina watches them go with a light heart, tears at the corner of her eyes, emotions heavy on her shoulders. A large hand takes place on her back, and she turns her head to find Robin's blue eyes staring intensely at her. She wraps her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest, sighing contently.

With Little John, they are the only ones still outside the camp, all the others called by Tuck around the fire to vividly recount the last weeks, the horses back in their enclosure.

"I told you you'd find her, didn't I?" John teases, looking from Robin to Regina. "I knew she wouldn't stop fighting. She's a survivor."

"That she is," Robin smiles, and he brings a hand around her waist to pull her closer, as she eyes him with all the love she has for him. He drops a soft kiss to her temple, and John is watching the whole scene, smirking.

"Thanks to you," Regina says, looking up at Robin. "Thanks to all of you," she corrects, turning her attention back to John and nodding toward the camp, as they're slowly making their way in its direction, "I had something to live for." She pauses, her next words directed at her friend "And I still have to beat your ass at that shooting contest you challenged me," she reminds with a smirk, winking at him, and they share a welcome laugh.

As they walk silently, Little John can't help but glance at them from time to time, seeing the smiles and looks they throw at each other, Robin's arm still around Regina's shoulder, and at the happiness that seems to eradiate from them.

"So..." he starts slowly, catching their attention "Are you two...?" He doesn't finish his sentence, just cocks his head to the side, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from them.

"Yes," Robin answers, tugging Regina a little closer, looking at her with adoration. "It took us a life-threatening situation to realize how stupid we've been from the beginning, but we finally admitted that we share more than just a friendship."

"About time!" John exclaims, a sheepish chuckle coming from the both of them in answer. "And Marian?" he adds carefully, drawing the name, knowing very well the woman insisted to go with Robin despite their break-up, but ignoring the reason why.

"She knows. She came along to try to change my mind about the wedding," He notices how Regina's body stiffens at the name, but Robin just tightens his hold, kisses her forehead again, "but I told her my decision was final."

"I imagine she wasn't thrilled."

"Thrilled doesn't begin to cover it," Robin admits, bringing a hand to tuck Regina's head under his chin, her arms totally encircling his body as she lets Robin's voice take her doubts and fear away. "But I think she understood, especially when she saw how different I was after I found Regina. I wouldn't have made her happy. I had feelings for her, I might have loved her, yes, but I never  _truly_  loved her, not the way I should have. I'm not even sure I would have ever felt for her half of what I feel for Regina. I made a mistake believing I could fall for another woman."

They're just a few feet away from their friends now, and all eyes and ears are turned towards them, some faces written with the satisfaction of seeing their leader and one of them finally happy, others smirking, some not showing emotion, just listening.

Robin pulls away from Regina just a little, grabbing gently both her arms, sliding his hands along them to clutch at her hands, looking at her square in her eyes. She's smiling at him, her heart open and vulnerable in front of him, but also strong and vibrant. They've lost so much time, he thinks. They've been blind for so long. He wants to make sure it never happens again. He wants to make sure none of them will ever run away, none of them will ever give up on what they now know they have.

So he takes one deep breath, never looking away, and saying as he kneels down, "And I never want to make that mistake again."

Regina gasps as she watches him lower himself on his knee in front of her, barely notices everyone's astonishment and Amelia stopping Connor from running to her, and looks deeply into Robin's eyes to be met only by love and determination. She can't believe this is happening. She can't believe what she sees, what she feels. This is too much, too many emotions, too much love, happiness, joy, fear, doubts, memories, and for a second her vision is blurred by tears that threaten to fall over her cheeks.

"Regina," Robin begins, and he's bringing her back from her daze, the warmth of his hands spreading through her from their linked fingers, "I know we are both thick-headed, and we've hurt each other over and over again during the last few months, and maybe it's unexpected and too soon, but I think we lost enough time. Almost losing you to death, and finally finding you again, made me realize that I never want to be separated from you, ever again. And I hope with all my heart that you feel the same. I love you with everything I have, and if you'll have me, I'd love to spend the rest of my life proving you that."

He lets his words make their way into her mind, watches her face as he sees her slowly acknowledging his declaration, before concluding "Regina, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She's looking at him, completely stunned. This is surreal. It can't be! She never thought she'd have this, never thought she'd be loved again, less of all by a man as amazing as Robin. A kind, caring and loving man, strong and just, who knows every part of her soul, even the darkest ones, and still wants her anyway. She doesn't deserve him, doesn't deserve all he's offering her, this promise of a future together where she could finally, for all the days and nights to come, be truly, deeply happy.

Her heart is swelling with the love she feels for him, but despite her doubts, she can't find it in herself to deny his. She won't make the same mistake again, she won't let him go. So she forgets all her fears, forgets about her mother, about Marian, about the world around them. She just focuses on him, on how much she wants to be with him, and she's barely aware of her head nodding slightly when she breathes in a sob, tears of joy now free to fall, "Yes." Robin gets up and his smile has never been brighter, and he bites his lips the way that makes her melt. "Yes, I will be your wife," she repeats in a much steady voice, just to be sure she said it, to be sure this is real, she's not dreaming, she won't wake up. She found a way to happiness, she found a way back to love, and suddenly Robin's arms lift her off of the ground and she's spinning, and spinning, and laughing, and when her feet land on the floor again he kisses her immediately, her face secured in these hands that she never wants to let go.

* * *

_Present_

_Just the memory is bringing tears to her eyes again. Making the decision to stay at the camp and live with them had been her second chance, and back then she'd never even imagined she could have more. She thought she was lucky enough to be with people who truly liked her instead of being trapped in a loveless marriage with her mother looking over her shoulder all day. But on that day, with Robin down on one knee in front of her, the rush of love she felt had beaten everything she ever experienced._

" _I was... overwhelmed, Daniel. I felt strong and alive and somehow, despite my past, I felt complete. Like I had been reunited with a piece of myself I didn't know was missing until I found it. As it turned out, Robin didn't act on an impulse when he proposed to me. He had thought it through during our time at the monastery, talked about it with Tuck, and he made a deal with the priests, that if I said yes, we would come back to get married there. This place, this people, were a symbol for us. They saved my life, and therefore Robin and I were given the chance to finally find each other._

_Also, Robin had accepted Tuck's request. Taking care of me while I was fighting to survive, he watched the friars treat my wounds. He prayed with them so I would live. And somehow, during this month, he found his path too. We had long talks about it. He told me he felt something, like a call, or something deeper, it was difficult for him to explain. But he felt like it was his fate to become one of them, to turn to religion, and become a friar. He needed twelve months of training to become one of them, after which he would be able to come back to us and to the camp._

_So we all agreed that after the wedding, he would stay there. It was a secluded life, so we knew we wouldn't be allowed to see him during his training period. It was hard leaving him behind, but he was content with his choice, and we knew it was only a matter of time before we would be reunited again._

_As for the wedding… God I can't even describe you how wonderful it was! Well, I'll try! Just let me find the right words..."_

* * *

A week later

"Stop moving for one bloody second!"

Regina stills at her friend's authoritative tone, but it truly is the curse that passed her lips that surprised her. She gives Amelia a raised eyebrow through the mirror in front of them, and her friend sees it, shrugs, keeps working the ebony locks while she speaks.

"I spent much more time with the men more than usual when you weren't here."

"Did Connor learn that word too?"

Amelia shakes her head, chuckling. "Oh no! His father would rinse his mouth with soap if he said something like that."

Speaking of...

"Gina! Mommy!"

Both women jump and turn around to watch a very excited and incredibly well-dressed two and a half year-old enter the room where they're getting ready.

His attempt to climb on Regina's lap is halted by his mother, who lifts him off the ground and scoops him in her arms, poking his nose with her finger.

"What are you doing here, Connor? You're supposed to stay with your father."

He shakes his head eagerly, his arms outstretched toward Regina. "Daddy said with you if I don't boter... boze... bo..." He huffs in annoyance while trying to find the right pronunciation, and Regina raises from her seat, ignores Amelia's eyes rolling and gathers the boy in her arms.

"If you don't  _bother_  us," she concludes, and Connor nods eagerly.

"Want a story!" he exclaims, and Regina's chuckle overcomes Amelia's reprehensive and outraged  _Connor!_

"Let him, Amelia! It will give me a distraction and I will stop moving every five seconds." She winks at her friend before taking her place in front of the mirror, settling Connor on her lap, facing her, looking for a story to tell him as her friend goes back to braiding her hair.

"Once upon a time..."

xxx

They decided to have the ceremony in the monastery's gardens. A few seats were brought for the elderly people –mostly the friars, but everyone else is standing, waiting. Parents are trying to keep their children from moving around or crying, and a very, very anxious but nonetheless handsome Robin is waiting, next to Little John, for Regina to join them.

He's nervously twisting his fingers and biting his lower lip, and John notices, brings his hand to his forearm to catch his attention.

"Are you seriously nervous?"

"Weren't you when you married Amelia?" Robin answers, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I was, but I wasn't sure I had what you two have. She's crazy about you, Robin," John assures him.

"Maybe," Robin concedes, "but she has also changed her mind and ran away more times than I can count."

"True, but I don't think she will this time. Since the moment you brought her back, she spent every one of her waking moments with you. You were glued to each other, Robin. She will come!" he insists, and as the words leave his mouth they hear everyone turning around as a door opens to reveal Connor, followed by Amelia, and finally, Regina.

She's wearing a white, simple, silky dress with long sleeves with embroideries on her waist, and her hair is braided and adorned with white flowers. In all her time at the camp, Robin has never seen her dressed as such. Living in the forest and stealing for a living, she always chose trousers over dresses. The sight of her brings butterflies to his belly, and he swallows hard to keep the ideas forming in his mind at bay.

 _Gosh, she's stunning_!

Her hand is gripping Tuck's arm, and Regina is glad he accepted to walk her down the aisle. He deserves the honor. But her heart aches at the thought that her father, her dear daddy that she loves very much and misses everyday, is not the one granted with that responsibility. Even in her darkest moments, when her mother was using magic against her or after Daniel's death, his presence was always comforting, soothing her like a parent is supposed to, even though he never was brave enough to save her from her mother's hand.

Regina runs her gaze over the faces around them, spotting Ruth and David who are smiling at her, catches the woman's nod and giving them a warm look. They accepted her invitation the second she told them about the wedding, and if she found a family with the Merry Men, her relationship and love for them is something else entirely. She loves Ruth like a mother, and fiercely protects David like a brother, and the feeling is mutual. Their deep and solid trust is an assurance that they will always be there no matter what.

She focuses on Robin as Tuck lets go of her hand and kisses her cheek, stepping back to meet the small crowd made of friends they gathered over the years.

She's lucky, she thinks, because despite everything and her poor behavior those last months, she's been blessed with the most loving man she could ever wish for. She thought she would end up living the rest of her life alone in a small cabin somewhere in a far away kingdom, but here she is, surrounded by people who love her and whom she loves back, about to marry a handsome and wonderful man  _she_ chose. She was afraid to be caught and yanked back into Leopold's palace, either stuck in his bed or chained in the dungeons, but instead she's free to live and breathe and decide how to live her life.

She lifts her head to meet Robin's deep blue eyes, and smiles back at him. He holds his hand for her, and she takes it. When the father superior calls them, they turn to face him.  _Together_ , because she's no longer alone. Not anymore. Not ever.

Because finally,  _finally_ , she moved on.

She loves again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are... The first part of this fic is over. Regina has finally let go of her fears and has accepted her love for Robin. The second part now begins. In the upcoming chapters, I will answer little by little to the questions I left hanging here. Honestly? Pretty much everything I did and everyone I included was important. The second part will be longer, and different from this one, because even if Regina will still be the narrator, many more characters will appear. Well... You'll see ;-)
> 
> The title will be : The most resilient heart.


	9. The most resilient heart : Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of this story. As you may have noticed, the title has changed.  
> This specific chapter has TWO WARNINGS, that I'll detail in the note at the end, for those of you who don't want to be spoiled.  
> If you know this story from fanfiction.net, you'll find here the complete version of this chapter as I have been forced to remove the smut on the other website. I'll change the story out there at the same time I upload it here.

_Present_

_She smiles widely when thinking of her wedding, and the rest of the day. It was perfect, magical, better than what she ever imagined, above all her childhood dreams. The love running through her and filling her with an intensity she'd never experienced before made her wonder more than once why she'd been so stubborn in the first place. Her fears cost them so much time. If she hadn't denied hers and Robin's feelings, if she'd been willing to listen to him, to herself, to open up to love instead of locking herself up in denial, the months of fights and cries would have never happened._

_After everything they've been through, after all the time spent apart, they wanted some privacy, some time alone, to regroup, to just be. They needed to find back their complicity, like it was before, and_ _it_ _had to be just the two of them for that. So, instead of coming back to the camp with the others, they rode in another direction, to a place in Sherwood forest where they lived three of the most wonderful days of their lives._

_After settling a small tent for the night, they just spent the rest of the day talking. And, not even for one second, were they able to break physical contact. They had missed each other so much. Not just the person, but the friend too._

_Except now their relationship was different._

_Good different._

_They were still friends, yes, but they were also husband and wife._

_And as everyone knows, every night following a wedding is full of expectations..._

* * *

Seventeen months ago

After the wedding

The sun had disappeared behind the trees and the hills a while ago, leaving nothing but darkness around them except for the small light of a crescent moon. The air is cool, not a teeth-chattering cold, but chilly nonetheless, and Regina is wrapped in his arms and warmth, her back pressed to his front, her head on his shoulder, his lips against her forehead, and she closes her eyes to revel in this peaceful moment, to not let anything disturb it, aside from the crackling of the fire in front of them, and the deep voice of a howl nearby.

Regina knows what will happen tonight.

She knows what  _should_  happen.

And she loves him, she really does, but she's scared, can't help it, can't do anything about it. She tries to focus on the present, on his strong arms around her, his breath against her skin, the hammering beating of his heart against her back but he must have sense her apprehension, because he says softly "You know we don't have to do this tonight. We can wait, until you're ready."

She furrows her brows, cranes her neck to look at him and find his comforting smile, and she smiles weakly, shamefully, then she shrugs and sighs.

"Would you rather wait?" she asks, her belly tightening with the nervousness she feels.

"I want to do what makes you comfortable. I love you, Regina, and I want to be with you in every sense of the way. But I won't force you. If you say no, then I'll wait. Being with you like this," he punctuates his words with a little squeeze and a small kiss on her cheek, "having you in my arms, right now, right  _here_  is already more than I could hope for not so long ago."

They share a sad smile at the memory, and she turns in his arms, faces him fully, and trails the outline of his jaw with her fingers as she confesses sheepishly "It scares me." He starts to speak but she cuts him. "I know you won't hurt me, but I've never..."

Regina knows he has, is well aware of what the unmarried men were doing at the village when she was staying alone, and then with Amelia, at the camp, overheard bits and pieces of conversations she wasn't supposed to hear. She never minded, never cared, because none of them were hers back then, and well, it was something she'd heard about before, a common practice in all the realms and social classes.

But now, facing him with her lack of experience, it bothers her. It does, because she's afraid he might be disappointed, because she can't bear the thought of him going to someone else because she's not  _good_  at it.

He seems to have followed her thoughts, because he tilts her chin up, tucks her hair behind her ear and confesses in a whisper, "I can assure you I haven't for a while, Regina, not since I realized I had feelings for you."

Regina tries to give him a confident smile in return, but he sees right through it, shakes his head and brings his lips to her forehead. "Regina, I have no interest in being with a woman that's not you, e _specially_ not for that," he corrects, and she feels a bit better, but still unsure.

"What if you don't like it? With me, I mean. What if I'm not-"

He silences her with a kiss, one that surprises her, makes her moan softly against his lips while his hand is at the back of her head, guiding her eyes to him when he pulls back just enough to talk to her. "It's  _you_ , Regina! I love  _everything_  about you!" he assures.

"But," she argues hesitantly "I don't know how..." she trails off in a whisper, a murmur, a shameful confession so low he has to lend an ear to hear it.

Regina lowers her eyes and he catches her hand, brings it to his lips and kisses its back softly, murmuring against her pulse point, "I can show you."

She meets his eyes again, and there is so much love in them, so much confidence, and she loves him, so much, wants to be with him, promised herself she wouldn't be afraid anymore. She finds herself nodding slightly, shyly, but he looks unconvinced by her answer, the hesitation remaining on his face, so she parrots his words, her voice steadier now, "Show me."

He catches her chin, kisses her gently, tenderly, the hand on her waist not moving yet, waiting for her to relax.

And she does.

Regina winds her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, her flesh pressing against his, telling him that she's ready, that he can move forward. His other hand slides from her face and runs along her body, taking in her form, thumb brushing over her breast as it moves past it before settling on her hip, keeping her close while he raises on his knees, never once breaking the kiss. He brings her up with him, scoops her in his arms in one movement and she laughs, wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him again as he carries her to the tent.

He lays her down on the bed carefully and pulls back just enough to look into her eyes. His fingers are at the laces of her corset, waiting for her before pulling out the knots.

She smiles, hands weaving through his hair before muttering softly against his lips, "I trust you."

That's all it takes.

Robin smiles and lowers his head to kiss her again, working on her clothes slowly, stopping every now and then whenever he feels her shake in his hold. He gives her time, moves his kisses to her neck, and smiles when she trembles under him with every wave of slowly rising pleasure, each tremble causing their bodies to touch.

He kneels at her feet and gives her a soft smile as he gently pushes her legs open for him, contently settling in between them. He watches her carefully as his hand moves under her dress and along her ankle, tantalizingly moving up, up, up until rough fingers meet the succulent skin of her thighs, massaging the soft skin there.

Regina gasps when his touch moves upwards until it reaches her hip, pulling the fabric over her and stripping her out of it. She gives him a shy look as his eyes run over her almost naked body, and he has to use all his willpower to control himself because

_God_ , she's a goddess.

His hands roams over her hips, gentle, slow, and his eyes catch the sight of a scar, one which reminds him of a very painful and recent situation, but which led, nevertheless, to them both in here, tonight, finally married and about to make love for the first time.

It's that injury which almost took her life, almost separated them forever. But it's that injury the cause of their reunion. It's thanks to it that he realized the depth of his love for her, and that she found the courage to speak truthfully and open her heart up. But he had also been so close to lose her forever without being able to tell her how much she meant to him because of it...

He absently strokes it with his thumb, staring, until a hand on his face makes him look up at his -how sweet is that word on his tongue,  _wife_.

_His_  wife, who's looking at him softly, understanding of his thoughts, probably sharing the same feelings as him.

"I'm alive, Robin. We're here now, and this is true. I'm not going anywhere."

He answers her with a soft smile, lets his fingers leave this particular spot and slide along her waist, his eyes taking in her form, her tantalizing curves, her oh-so perfect body.

Regina squirms a little, from discomfort or the cool air of the night, he's not sure, either way he moves atop of her, claiming her mouth again, then her neck, making her moan softly as he nips at the skin there, runs his tongue along her pulse and she instantly arches her back, pressing her chest against his in response. He stops next to her ear to murmur in a low voice, "You're beautiful, Regina. But if you need me to stop..."

She turns her head to meet his gaze, and this time she grabs one of his hand and places it atop her breast, shivering at the foreign sensation, but starting to unbutton his shirt anyway, making sure not to break eye contact as she repeats once again, "I trust you," before kissing him deeply.

She trails her fingers and palms across his bare chest, her hands pushing his shirt down his forearms, warmth filling her at the feel of strong biceps underneath her fingertips. God, he is a work of art, even half dressed. Shirt once discarded and thrown blindly across the tent, Regina watches as Robin starts removing his trousers, sucking on a breath as she has a full view of  _him._ Anxiety grows in her belly once again, her cheeks tinting a bit by embarrassment or is it the nerves? She really did not know. But all she knows now is that Robin's fingers are at her hips, fingertips brushing delicately under the hem as his loving touch fills her once again. He's waiting for her once again, this wonderful, honorable man still waits for her approval even when she knows, well, saw, that he's more than ready for her. But anyways, he's waiting for a sign, for her to allow him to take that big step in their relationship, so Regina nods slightly, a rushed nod that may have been missed if he wasn't paying much attention.

Robin's not convinced by it and he frowns, pulls his fingers from the hem of her undergarment and is about to ask her again, to tell her that they can wait.

But Regina swallows heavily, and nods again, this time adding a "Yes, Robin, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" he asks because of course he's too much of a gentle and loving man to take her without her consent, a fact that fills her heart with love and even more adoration for this amazing man.

She holds her breath, trails her fingers along his chest, moving south, down, down, down before her fingers brush against  _him_  and without giving it a second thought, she wraps her hand around him, softly moving it up and down his length because she doesn't know what else to do. She sees him close his eyes and exhale softly as a low moan escapes his parted lips, his head ducking forward until their foreheads touched.

He only looks at her again when she gives him the oral consent he was waiting for.

"I'm ready. I want this."

She fights the urge to squirm and wriggle as he hooks his fingers in the thin material of her underwear and pushes it down her hips and legs, feeling exposed as she finally is laying fully naked in front of him. The minute he gets rid of her undergarnment and his eyes find her bare body, something shifts in him, his blue orbs darkening and shining with something she's not accustomed to.

Lust.

Desire.

_He wants her_ , she can tell by the way he's looking at her right now, by the way he almost trembles trying to hold himself from burying inside her right away. But he doesn't, just runs his fingers along her thighs, hips, waist, breast, teasing her and this time she closes her eyes as his thumbs brush over her, enjoying his touch.

"You have no idea how much I love you," he breathes, his voice tainted with the need of her, the words forcing to make their way out of his mouth, because he can't think straight anymore, not with her lying naked under him, opened and trusting.

And she loves him, wants to be with him too, so she pulls him to her, kisses him deeply again, gripping at his hair and shoulder. She feels one of his hands wandering on her curves, abandoning one breast to head south, and even though she has an idea of his destination, she still jumps as he reaches between her thighs and his fingers work there, caressing and rubbing but not entering her yet. Her body responds to him quickly, a wetness she only experienced a few times before and against her willpower coming back where his hand lays, and she bucks in his hold when he finds this sensitive spot she never realized she had, his touch sending shocks of pleasure through her.

She keeps him close, finds some kind of reassurance in the physical contact between them, feeling goosebumps rising on her skin as his mouth sucks on her collarbone, licking and nipping, making her shiver and moan. He ventures lower then, more adventurous, finding the breast not kneaded by one of his hands, his tongue swirling around and licking her nipple. This new feeling is building inside her, feels good, it overcomes the fear, makes her moan softly with the pleasure he gives her from the triple stimulation, her breath already short and heavy and erratic, her head light and dizzy at the same time, overwhelmed.

Regina feels him hard against her inner thigh, and the dread is still here, but she hooks one of her legs around his thigh anyway, grinds against him and presses herself to him, trapping his hand between their bodies. Robin gets the message, removes his fingers and centers himself, raises his eyes to look at her while he moves forward. She bites her lower lip in anxiety, but nods firmly, grips his shoulder with one hand, the other on his back.

But when he pushes into her, she tenses, shuts her eyes tight, winces and whimpers, forcing him to stop. He tells her to relax, to breathe, to look at him, so she does, gasps as she releases the breath she was holding.

He tries again, and this time she's ready, she shudders and exhales slowly when he sinks all the way into her, his forehead stuck to hers. When he's buried to the hilt, he stays still, kisses her again, a wet, desperate, frantic kiss that almost sets her on edge.

He tells her how much he loves her, how wonderful she is, that she's doing great, he's going to move now.

She tells him she loves him too, she trusts him, she wants this, and she grips his ribs and buries her face in his neck as he starts moving, pulling slowly from her depths before sinking again. He gives her time to adjust, to feel, to recover. He keeps a slow pace, stretches her inch by inch, until she releases her hold on him, until she relaxes in his arms and back onto the makeshift bed. He picks up his rhythm just a bit then, his thumb coming against her clit again, making her suddenly lose the little control she has over herself. A rather loud cry that would be considered indignant of a princess slips out of her mouth, her hips bucking upward against him, but she doesn't care.

She's not a princess anymore.

She's an outlaw, a friend, a wife, and her wonderful husband is doing things to her she didn't think were possible. She gets accustomed to him inside her, realizes the pain is slowly decreasing, slowly giving place to something else, something better, something more reminiscent of the beginning of all of this.

He moves faster on top of her, and she clutches to him, to his neck, to his ribs, to whatever part of him she can reach and grip, the back of her head pressing hard into the pillow, as he brings her to a level of pleasure she's never experienced before, drawing gasps and moans out of her.

They're panting, breathless, and sweating, and she has no idea how long it lasts, is not even sure she wants it to end, but then he comes inside her, fills her with an indescribable substance, stills, and he doesn't move away, stays buried deep as they slowly come back to their senses. He kisses her cheek, and her lips, her forehead, and her nose, his fingers letting go of her hips to caress her face when he recedes to look down at her, his gaze loving, his touch gentle.

She looks at him, and she feels safe, maybe a little sore now that the pleasure is gone, but happy.

Content.

He rolls off of her, brings her to his chest, and she snuggles against him, in his arms, in his warmth, in this safety he's always made her feel. He grabs the covers they settled just next to the bed, pulls them over their naked bodies and she sighs with contentment.

"Are you alright?"

She lifts her head to meet his eyes, and smiles. "I am. You were perfect."

"I promise, tomorrow will be for you."

She furrows her brow, her hand finding his chest and her fingers playing with the hair she finds there.

"This wasn't?"

He chuckles, presses his lips to hers for a quick kiss, smiling when he pulls back, a finger tracing the line of her hair.

"Believe me, Regina.  _This_  was nothing compared to the pleasure I can make you feel."

He's almost smirking, and she blushes, smiles weakly, breathes a small  _okay_  before scooting closer, an arm over his torso. She buries her face in his neck, his chin on top of her head, the fingers in her hair moving to her back and keeping her close.

He kisses her head and holds her tight, his voice low and comforting when he murmurs "Sleep, my love. We have a whole life ahead of us."

xxx

Regina wakes up in the darkness, disoriented, shivering from the coldness of the night.

It takes her a moment to remember where she is, with who, and what happened, but she smiles when she does. She moved away from Robin during the night, not by much, but enough to make her chilly and aching for him. She's still naked, should put some night clothes on, she thinks, but she doesn't want to leave the warmth of the man lying next to her in bed, doesn't want any layer of tissue between them. So she pulls up the covers up to her chin, moves closer to Robin and winds her arms around his waist, tangling their legs and burrowing her face in his chest.

"What is it?" she hears him whispers against her hair, one hand raising to cup the back of her head.

"Just cold," she answers and he moves on his side to face her, brings her closer, surrounds her with his body, kissing her head again as she tucks it under his chin, and falls back asleep within a few minutes.

xxx

Regina awakes to the warm and wonderful feeling of his tongue against her throat.

She stirs, sighs at the loss of contact when he pulls back, but it doesn't last. She doesn't even have time to open her eyes that he's back to his task, and her hand falls to cup gently the back of his head, her body shifting to give him better access as he wraps an arm around her waist and tugs her closer.

"Mmm... Morning," she greets softly, letting out a deep breath as he finds this particular spot that had made her shiver and tremble the night before. He lingers there, his tongue restless, swirling, licking, sucking, one of his hands against her breasts, teasing, rubbing, kneading, and she already feels the effects of his attention between her thighs. He doesn't even pull back to answer her, his words muffled by her own skin, and she tangles their legs, tightens her grip on him. She finds him already hard against her belly when she rolls on her back and he settles on top of her, and she's amazed by the power she has over this man. Her hands wander on his chest, his back, his hair, discovering his body once more, reveling in the slight shivers she earns in response. But when she trails a slow path on his abdomen, and her fingers brush the tip of him, he shakes his head, a low  _uh uh_  coming from him as he circles her wrist with his hand and draws hers away from him. He pulls back just enough to capture her lips in a wet kiss, reminding her when they mouths part  _For you_  and she can't fight a smile, whispers a  _Oh! Okay_  and winds her arms around his neck, leaving her body to his care as he pulls moans and gasps and shouts out of her.

It's a bliss.

He's worshiping her body for what feels like an eternity, before settling his head between her thighs, making her blush when he uses his mouth and tongue on her in a way she'd never known was possible, bringing her to a level of pleasure that makes her feel dizzy and good and amazing, leading her towards that peak she never reached before. It takes her time to recover the first time, so he lets her, gives her a few minutes to slow her ragging breath and frantic heartbeat.

But then, his mouth is pressed against that bunch of nerves again and his fingers are slowly sinking into her, and there is no pain, only wonderful waves of pleasure when he finds just the right spot and keeps the rhythm and pressure fast and hard enough to make her cry out for him.

When he is done, he moves on top of her and kisses her slowly, deeply, fingers tenderly brushing her hair, and she finally understands what he had meant the previous night.

She'd felt plenty of pleasure then, but he was right, it was nothing compared to  _that_.

He enters her afterwards, but keeps his attention focused on her, trying to find the positions and angles that she likes, the rhythm that drives her crazy, the spots that have her fisting her hands and biting her lips. She trembles and writhes, cries out and clutches onto him until she feels him follow her in release, her body relaxing and sagging on the bed, boneless, sweaty and warm, but incredibly satisfied.

They spend this day and the next one bathing in the river, talking, and laughing, walking and making love again, unable to stop, unable to get enough of each other, not caring about the possibility of someone else's presence, until he reluctantly reminds they need to start heading back if they want to get to the camp before night fall.

Once there, the knowledge of what happened between them is written in the smirks and shining eyes greeting them, but no one asks or speaks about it, respecting their privacy, Regina realizes, and she's grateful for that. They share a good meal, a feast, actually, a celebration for the beginning of a new life, a life together, as a couple and as a united group again.

They dance and sing almost through the night, until Regina blames the exhaustion from the long road and drags Robin into their now shared-tent with a mischievous smile. They know Amelia transferred all of her belongings to Robin's bigger and more isolated tent, and the single bed has been replaced by a double. But the sight of it forces realization upon her and she grips Robin's hand tightly, drawing his gaze to her and a frown on his face.

"Is everything alright?"

Still speechless, she nods, tears her eyes away from her new home to look at her husband.

"I'm just starting to realize it's real."

He smiles and winds his arms around her waist, bringing her close,  _really_  close, so close she can feel him,  _all_  of him, including the parts she only met two days ago for the first time, and her palms are on his chest, on his shoulders, around his neck, as she raises on her toes to press her forehead to his.

"Didn't you had enough proves that it was real the last couple of days?" He teases, his grip on her tightening for a second before loosening again.

She chuckles in response, teeth digging into her lower lip, her eyes dark and filled with desire when she meets his gaze.

"It felt more like a dream," She confesses. "And I think," she drops on her heels, turns and pushes him towards the bed, still not releasing her hold on him, "that it's the middle of the night," the back of his knees bucks against the edge of the bed "and the night is supposed to make dreams come true," she forces him to sit in front of her, and he lets her, sliding his hands along her waist, her hips, the edge of her pants "isn't it?" She finishes as she straddles him, taking his mouth in an eager kiss, pressing their torsos together and forgetting about the world outside, losing herself in him again.

* * *

_Present_

_She shakes her head, comes back to her senses, because she got lost in memories, into a light mind she's not sure she'll ever have again, not after everything that happened, not after everything she lost._

" _I'm sorry. I was deep in thoughts," she apologizes, and there's no need, she knows, Daniel is not really here, but she likes thinking that he is, that he's listening, that he knows he didn't die in vain._

" _So, where was I? Right, the wedding! Well, after Robin and I got married, a lot of things changed. I left the camp more often, for robberies of course, but I was also going to the village with him, or Amelia. The two of us had created a routine, heading for supplies to a nearby village, Rotherhamer, two to three times a month. It allowed us time together, away from our husbands and responsibilities, just two friends enjoying each other._

_Robin and I let our past behind, and we started a new life, together. We were content with what we had, resumed our positions at the camp, went back to planning attacks and training new recruits. Life was good, you know? Really good! And it got even better the day I went to have Amelia check up on me. She was no expert, but she had a few notions, some knowledge of medicine and most of the time it was enough to treat us. So I told her I hadn't been feeling that well over the last couple of weeks, that I had been nauseous and dizzy. She listened, asked questions, made a quick examination and looked at me with the smile of someone who knew exactly what was going on..."_

* * *

Two months and a half later

"I'm no healer, but I think I might have a little idea of what is happening to you." Amelia smiles softly, looking at her friend, at her panic gaze, her growing impatience.

"What? Amelia, please! Tell me!"

The blonde woman looks at her with care, trails a hand over her shoulder and arm, rubbing it slightly. "You're pregnant, Regina."

Regina's eyes open widely, her jaw falling in realization because she missed all the signs. Or to be more exact, she saw all the signs, just never made the connection between them nor understood their significance.

"I... I am?" she stutters in disbelief.

"I'm pretty sure, yes."

She almost chokes on a chuckle, brings a hand to cover her mouth as her eyes fill with tears of joy. She's happy! Ecstatic, even! She's glowing, and smiling, laughing and crying at the same time, wrapping her arms around her friend's neck, drawing her close, hugging her tightly.

But when she lets go, she looks confused for a second, bites her lower lip nervously, as a question makes her way into her mind.

"Should I tell Robin?"

Amelia laughs softly, cocking her head. "Well, he's the father. He has a right to know."

"No, I mean, should I tell him  _now_? We've been married for less than three months, I don't know if he wanted to wait, or... Maybe he doesn't want children!" she starts, and then it's her usual doubts and fears taking over her all over again as she continues "Maybe he's not ready! We never talked about this. We married too soon, we should have wa-"

"Regina!" Amelia cuts her, taking her hands in hers. "You've known each other for years. It's not exactly as if you married a stranger. And I know Robin. He'll be over the moon."

Regina's breath evens, and she seems to settle, calms down, understands. "You're sure?" she insists, because she needs to hear it one more time.

"I'm positive! Do you want me to go get him?"

Regina's nod is excited, impatient, and Amelia laughs at her bright eyes and broad smile, hugging her friend one last time before stepping out of the tent.

The wait until Robin finally shows up seems endless. Now, she can't wait to tell him. She paces again and again, until she finally hears him, until she finally sees him, and she fights to contain her joy, tries her very best to keep the neutral mask she barely managed to put on while waiting for him.

"Regina, what is it?" he asks with concern. "Amelia told me you needed to talk to me right away."

Regina shakes her head, chuckling, because of course, her friend would have made it appear as something urgent. She walks to him, links their fingers, looking at him right in the eyes and God, she loves those deep blue eyes, she can't wait to tell him, can't wait to see them filled with the same happiness she's full of.

"Are you alright?" he asks again, because she still hasn't voiced a word, and it draws her back to reality, reminds her what she has to tell him, and she finds herself nodding eagerly, smiling, clutching at his hands as his brow knits in confusion.

"I'm pregnant, Robin," she finally lets out, waiting for his reaction, and he doesn't disappoint her, repeats her words just to make sure he understood her right, waits for her to nod again, tears gathering in his eyes too now, one of the brightest smiles on his lips.

Suddenly she's spinning, and spinning, and flying and the tent is filled with the sound of their laughs before he puts her down gently, a hand cupping her chin, his head lowering to kiss her. She winds her arms around his neck, while his other hand is on her back, keeping her close, and she melts against him, in his embrace, in his kiss, and she loves him so much,  _so much_ , she's the luckiest woman in the world right now, because she's carrying his baby.

* * *

_Present_

" _Oh my God, Daniel, you have no idea how happy we were! This news, this baby, was unexpected, that's for say, we thought it would come later, but we welcomed it with open hearts. We were going to be a family. We were about to be parents!"_

_She drops a hand to her stomach, smiling absentmindedly as she takes in the swollen curve of her abdomen, feeling little to strong kicks from time to time wherever she stays long enough, life stirring in her every day even more, growing stronger and bigger until the moment she will finally be able to hold her child in her arms. She can't wait for that day._

" _But we should have known it wouldn't last. The good luck, I mean. Our guard was down, our mind elsewhere, and we took risks. In the years I had spent as a member of the Merry Men, I had always been careful to hide my face from as many people as possible. Exception made of Ruth, David, and a few families we'd helped and from who we had an endless loyalty, no one ever knew I'd been there._

_But the news of my pregnancy rendered us inseparable, Robin and I, even more in love than before, if it was possible. So one day, I decided to accompany him on one of his usual trips to the town of Donacaster. It was at the border between Leopold and George's kingdoms, close to where Ruth and David lived, located on that land I had ran away from all those years ago. Except this time, I wasn't hiding under a hood anymore, and I made the mistake to linger for too long, and I was oblivious to the fact that we were meeting the wrong people. It was a town where no one knew me, close from the place I had once called home, and I should have guessed, I should have_ known! _But my mind was so full of joy that I forgot, and I paid a heavy price for my recklessness._

_Because what we didn't know, was that with everything that happened since the moment we saved Marian's father's horses months before, all the choices that we made, Robin and I, including the one to go to this town together,_ especially _this one, led us to open the gate to unleash an evil none of us was ready to confront._

_And it almost swallowed us both."_

* * *

Two weeks later

"Robin, I told you, you shouldn't have bought me this necklace," she scolds softly, but unable to fight her wide smile anyway, her fingers playing with the chain around her neck.

"You liked it, and I'm your husband. I get to spoil you if I want!"

"I appreciate that, but we need to save money now. It's not just us, we are going to have a family!" she reminds, her mind drifting elsewhere for a second and she's beaming at the prospect of having a child, promising to herself to protect and love this baby with her entire being, to give him everything she never had.

"You do know I have every intention to spoil this baby too, right?" he smirks, and she rolls her eyes playfully, stopping their walk and waving their fingers together, her hold on Rocinante's reins getting loose, looking at her husband right in the eyes and bringing him closer.

"I do. That's part of why I love you so much. You're going to be an amazing father," she breathes, slowly closing the gap between them and joining their lips. She smiles into the kiss, feels his hands leave hers and wind around her waist, lifting her up on her toes so her flush is pressed against his chest, and she has no other choice but to wrap her arms around his neck, sighing in contentment when they pull back, foreheads touching.

"Thank you, Robin, for loving me. I never thought I'd feel that way ever again after Daniel died, but now I feel like I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

He smiles warmly at her, kisses her again, before loosening his hold on her, tugging at her hand and his own horse's reins, and leading them both slowly along the road, ready to leave the main road and enter the thick cover of the forest.

"And I promise you that I will do everything within my power to make you feel like this every day, Regina."

" _Oh, how sweet!"_  a bitter voice comes from behind them and suddenly they stop in their tracks, turn on their heels in a second.

Both horses stiffen and snort, but Rocinante hits the ground forcefully with his hoof, nudging Regina's shoulder as if warning her of the danger, obviously recognizing the person facing them, and not at ease with them.

Robin lets go of the reins to grab his bow in one hand, instinctively bringing the other in front of Regina to pull her behind him, but she pushes at him to stand by his side as soon as she recognizes the owner of the voice. Her eyes are wide with horror and fear, and she grips Robin's forearm tightly, her fingernails digging in his skin, making him turn his head to give her a puzzled look.

" _Mother_."

"Hello, Regina! It's been too long," her bloodcurdling voice jests.

Regina eyes her warily, gritting her teeth, not showing how panicked she actually is inside. She feels Robin tense and alert next to her, his hold on her tightening, but she doesn't turn her look away from her mother.

"What are you doing here?" she asks coldly, and Cora gives her one of those chuckles she learned to recognize as fake and sign of her mother's wrath about to strike.

"I've been looking for you," Cora says nonchalantly. "You disappeared so suddenly all those years ago, I was worried something bad might have happened to you."

Regina knows better than to believe in those words. She knows this is just an act, she knows her mother hasn't forgiven her. She can even see it in the thin line of her mouth, the corner of her lips twitched in disgust, the wrinkles near her eyes crinkling with resentment.

"Is that why you accused Daniel -the man  _you murdered_ \- of having me kidnapped? Because you were  _worried_?" she bites, but Cora doesn't answer.

A silence passes before Regina understands the woman won't admit what she did, how she lured everyone and killed a young innocent man. Even if there is no one else to hear it but herself and Robin.

Or maybe not!

Because it doesn't take Regina long to notice another person, a woman, standing behind her mother, not hiding but almost. A red-haired young girl, though older than herself it seems, with piercing blue eyes full of curiosity and shyness.

When Cora realizes who her daughter is looking at, she steps aside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you don't know each other. Regina..." Cora starts on a solemna voice, "Meet Zelena, yo _ur sister_."

Regina clutches to Robin's arm even more, giving a doubtful look to both women in front of her. She has no idea if this is true or a bad joke, but she struggles to keep her spine straight, unwilling to show her mother any sign of weakness.

"My sister?" she says dubiously.

"Yes. I had her first," Cora explains calmly. "You don't have the same father, if that's what you're thinking. I had to give her away to insure her future. What life could she have had with a unmarried and poor girl for a mother? But she found me, and now I'm fully capable of taking care of her."

"Destroy her, you mean! Or did you just found a docile replacement for the shame that I am?" Regina spits bitterly.

The girl named Zelena, who stayed silent during the whole exchange, finally takes a step forward, her attitude and voice a mix of shyness and reproach, as if she couldn't choose between believing them or not, as if it wasn't her own words but someone else's.

_Cora's_ , Regina thinks.

Knows.

"You did refuse to marry a King. Mother only wanted what was best for you. Like she did with me," she finishes, looking up to get Cora's approval nod, and Regina knows she was right. Even if this woman is truly her sister, their mother managed to get a control over her she never could with Regina. Better try to open her eyes as soon as possible then.

"What was best for me? For you?" Regina scoffs dryly, bitterly. " _She_   _killed_  the man  _I loved_  in front of me. She  _ripped_  his heart  _out_ , and she  _crushed_  it so I could marry a King older than my own father! She probably abandoned you because having a child would have stopped her plan of marrying up. Don't fool yourself, Zelena! Our mother only does what is best for her. If someone else gets hurt, it's just collateral damage, even if it's her own flesh and blood."

"Enough!" Cora thunders and Regina feels a surge of magic knocking the air out of her lungs as she's projected a few feet behind, and lands hardly on the ground, the back of her head hitting a thick root and sending a wave of pain hammering in her skull. She's vaguely aware of the horses panicked neighing and agitation as she fights the dizziness, and Robin is by her side a second later, helping her sit, one hand reaching for where she knocked herself, but she shakes her head, wincing in the process. There is no time for minor injuries.

Clutching to him, she gets up, faces her mother again, a hard look on her face, blinking back the remaining black spots dancing in front of her eyes.

"Believe me,  _sister_! It won't take long before you realize who she truly is."

"Regina, stop!" Cora insists.

"By the way, I'm curious, mother. It's been 3 years, how did you find me?"

The change of subject seems to temper Cora's anger, and she centers herself, her voice lower, calmer, but bitter and threatening.

"Well, you and your...  _friend_  here," she says, nodding toward Robin in disgust "have made some enemies. Do you know the sheriff of Nottingham, and a certain Marian Fitzwalter?"

Her lips quirk in a smirk when Robin and Regina open their eyes in realization, and then frown deeply, waiting for what's coming next.

"They came to me a few weeks ago, told me that you, my darling, were part of an outlaw group. The Merry Men, is it?" She pauses for effect, but doesn't give them time to answer. "What a silly name! Anyway, that poor Marian told me how because of  _you_ , Regina, that man over here broke their engagement, and her heart, because he was too much in love with you to marry someone else." Turning to Robin, she speaks directly to him for the first time, loathe piercing in her voice, her gaze traveling on him from head to toe as if he was a bug about to be crushed. "I guess that makes you my son-in-law then."

"I may be Regina's husband, but I want nothing to do with you. And I won't let you hurt her again."

His voice comes loud and bold, but Cora is not impressed by it.

"As if you had the power to stand against me," she states, smirking, before turning back to her daughter, "I spent the last few weeks looking for you, unsuccessfully, until today. You see, the reason I finally found you, dear," she says, looking over at her daughter again "is that today you've made the mistake to talk with a man I know. A man who sells poor-quality necklaces." Cora spits, venom dripping from her voice, her chin tilting toward the pendant resting above Regina's cleavage, and the young woman instantly brings a hand to it. "A man whose heart has been mine since the day you disappeared, but who never had the pleasure to meet you before. You see, after you ran away, I stole the hearts of men and women all over the Kingdom, in hope that one of them would cross path with you. Unfortunately, you never did, until today. When that man's heart suddenly shone, I knew I'd finally found you again. You do remember my love for hearts, don't you, Regina?" Cora wickedly smirks, pulling out the bright red shining organ from under her cloak, enjoying the gasps and horror filling the couple's faces when their eyes settle on the warm and beating heart in her hand, instinctively taking a step back, but not running away.

Not yet.

Regina curses under her breath, because of course, she knows, has always known, but she forgot, never imagined Cora would've done that, taking a man's heart to use him as a spy in search for her. And now she led her mother straight to them, to Robin, and herself, unarmed and exposed, even though Robin's bow is at their feet and her dagger safely tucked to her belt. She's no fool, is well aware that it won't be of any use on her mother, but it could buy them time, maybe. Time to run away a second time. But she's startled and pulled out of her thoughts when her mother speaks again in a disappointing tone.

"By the way, that necklace is not worth your money honey, it's merely a trinket. I'm sorry to see you haven't learned, Regina. Breaking your engagement to the King and then ruining that woman's wedding? Living in the forest? Stealing? Dressing like a man? I though I taught you better than this worthless life you chose." She takes a step forward, a threatening one, and Regina's hand protectively flicks over her belly as a reflex, Robin's quickly covering it, their senses sharp, anticipation for what's coming next eating at them both, their minds working fast to find a way out of there.

Cora raises a brow and her voice is low and dangerous, spiting the words as she understands. "You didn't! You ungrateful and stupid child!"

Robin's arm currently protecting his wife pulls her backwards, the other one moving clumsily to grab at his horse's reins. He tries to step back as he does, bringing Regina with him, ready to run, but Cora narrows her eyes, sensing his intentions.

"Oh no, dear! Not again!" she whispers, and then, "Zelena..."

It takes less than a second for Robin to be suddenly and violently ripped out of his wife's arms, pinned against a nearby tree, held there by the force of Zelena's magic as she holds her hand towards him, unable to move as he watches Cora walks towards his wife.

Regina lets out a shriek in surprise when she realizes her sister has magic, then fear, of what her mother is about to do to her and her husband. She thinks back of Daniel, sweet Daniel, who was killed just for daring to love her. She gazes at Robin, powerless against the magic she was so accustomed to be a victim of not so long ago. She can see in his eyes his silent pleading for her to run away, but she won't, can't, refuses to abandon him. It'd be pointless anyway, she wouldn't go very far.

The horses are wild behind her, terrified, Robin's horse taking off but Rocinante remaining, standing by her side, as if wanting to protect her, as if recognizing the danger. Her hand reaches for her dagger, clutches to it tightly, ignoring the way Cora looks at it with mere indifference. If she's being honest, despite all that Cora has done in her past, Regina barely recognizes her mother, for disgust and anger have taken over her features, turning her face into a twisted grimace. She barely manages an indignant but yet pleading  _Mother, don't do this!_  before she feels a sharp and excruciating pain torn her belly, forcing her to bend in half, releasing the blade in the process, missing the deep angry breaths of her horse behind her.

Robin struggles against the magic, but Zelena is too strong. Panic invades him as he stares in horror at his wife falling down on her knees, both arms crisped over her abdomen, screaming in pain. His heart beats faster in his chest, and he manages to call her name, but neither Cora nor Regina hear him. He watches as Cora raises another hand, sending a wave of magic toward the brown horse who dared to walk to her, sending him backwards, unconscious.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

Zelena's question surprises him, because it holds genuine incomprehension, and from the shocked look on her face as she stares at her mother and sister, Robin guesses she's wasn't aware of this part of the plan.

"Teaching your sister a lesson, darling! She's betrayed me one too many times."

"Are you-?"

"This baby is an abomination," Cora answers Zelena's beginning of a question, "I won't let her sully my blood with that bastard."

Robin hopes for a second that the red-haired woman will stand up to Cora, because she seems dumbfounded by what is happening in front of her, by her sister's screams and cries and attempts to plead as her own mother is killing the beginning of life growing inside her, her own flesh and blood.

Zelena's hold on him decreases while she can't tear her eyes apart from Regina's shaking body on the ground, almost convulsing with pain, but it's still too strong for him to escape. He hopes, but Zelena seems too caught up under her mother's influence to question her motivations.

Regina has tears falling freely over her cheeks, her eyes shut tight as the pain is growing and spreading through her body, as well as her distress and the fear of knowing what her mother is actually doing to her. She never thought she'd be capable of that. She never thought Cora would willingly and physically harm her that way, much less her unborn child. She never fooled herself into believing the woman had any consideration for human life, Daniel was the proof of that, but she hoped her children would be safe from Cora's wrath.

She was wrong.

She tries to get up, tries to voice something else than desperate screams and sobs, wants to tell her mother to stop this insanity, but the more she fights, the more pain grows. Her face is torn in agony, her body bends over the excruciating pain turning her insides, the worst cramp she has ever experienced, knocking the breath out of her lungs, the intensity increasing until there is nothing left inside her, until she falls forward, too stunned and weak and broken to even raise her hands and catch herself before hitting the ground violently, her body and mind completely numb.

"I'd hoped Leopold would still have you, even after all this time. But after seeing what you've become, you're not worthy of a King. This is such a waste!"

Cora had barely finished her sentence when Regina hears Robin's strangled voice, even through her foggy state. Opening her eyes, she watches, powerless, as the witch starts to choke him slowly, taking every breath out of him. She raises on an elbow with difficulties, watching her husband through blank eyes still filled with tears, unable to react.

"Regina!" he barely manages, pulling her out of her stupor. She gathers her strengths, what's left of it at least, stands on her knees, then her feet, dizzy and unsteady, a hand still over her belly, supporting herself as she puts one step in front of the other, almost losing her balance every time.

"Mother, stop!" Her voice is weak but determined, and she never breaks eye-contact with Robin, slowly making her way towards him. But Cora doesn't care, must think Regina's attempt is vain, because she doesn't even try to stop her.

"I can't believe you keep choosing men who sleep in the straw, when you could have had a luxurious palace and a whole kingdom at your feet instead. You're such a foolish girl, Regina."

Regina has reached Robin now, and she grabs him through the magical shield, holds onto him and the tree to keep herself from crumbling to the ground, finally turning her head to look at her mother. She catches the sight of her still bewildered sister staring at the scene with wide eyes, and she's not sure which one of them she's talking to when she begs, her face drowned under flows of tears "Please, stop this!"

Robin is almost unconscious now, his mouth slightly opened but he's not struggling to breathe anymore and Regina understands she's about to lose him too. His face is pale, lifeless, unresponsive, but she refuses to let him go. She tries to shake him, get his attention, get him to look at her, and she's so focused she doesn't hear it.

Hooves. And neighing. And a voice!

Cora must have noticed, because she turns her head to the side, releasing a bit of the grip she has on Robin's neck, but it's not enough to allow the air to enter his lungs again. They're on the side of the road, at everyone's view, and whoever is coming must have spotted them, because they speed up, someone shouting at them.

Zelena's hand land on her mother's arm, getting her attention as she pleads, "Let's go, mother! I think she got the message anyway."

Cora's eyes are throwing daggers at her older daughter, but she relents when she hears the carriage getting closer, cutting off the flow of magic and releasing Robin from her hold.

Regina follows when he suddenly falls forward, and she comes back to herself and finds enough strength to catch his body before it hits the ground violently. She cradles his face in her hands, stroking gently, lovingly, desperately gazing at him, calling his name with as much force as she can muster, hoping he hasn't left her.

She almost chokes on a relieved sob when he starts coughing, and his eyes flutter before opening, staring at her in disbelief, because he thought he was dead.

Cora quickly glares at them, clearly annoyed by the turn of events. "This is not over, Regina. I will make you pay for the shame you brought upon us."

Regina looks up at her mother, glaring, silent, because there is nothing more to say. Cora declared a war but this time Regina is not a poor little ignorant girl anymore. She's a woman, she learned what life is really made of, she's in love again, and she won't lose what she fought so hard to get.

She gives a look at her sister, not uttering a word but telling her with her eyes that she's wrong, Cora doesn't care about her, never will, and if she dares to stand in her way, she will pay the price just like herself did for the second time. But something else is exchanged between the two sisters. Because as much as Zelena is looking at her with eyes filled with despise and something that looks a lot like jealousy -jealousy of what, Regina has no idea-, her eyes are also full of something that resemble compassion, apologies and maybe, just maybe, regrets. And it's those last three that make Regina start doubting, second guessing the real reason Zelena stopped Cora a minute before. Maybe it wasn't just to run away from a carriage they could have both gotten rid of without doing much effort.

Maybe it was to stop Cora from killing someone else.

From killing Robin.

Saying that Regina is grateful at that moment is too much to ask, but she ducks her head slightly anyway, an acknowledgement of her sister's help, and Zelena returns it, before a cloud of blue smoke envelops her and their mother.

It's just a matter of seconds before the carriage stops by them, but Regina is too busy holding Robin tightly in her arms, relief and grief washing over her at the same time, crying and sobbing and barely noticing the old man approaching her with wide eyes, asking in disbelief.

"Regina?"

She only raises her head from Robin's shoulder, who's now sitting up and hugging her back, a lonely tear running down his face, when the man is crouching in front of them, catching her gaze. She freezes, stiffens, and Robin senses it so he turns his head to look at the man. That's when he notices his clothing, features, and royal carriage, and realizes that this person currently staring at them in shock, is the King himself. King Leopold.

The man his wife was supposed to marry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS for 1) Sex and 2) Miscarriage/Physical torture/Violence
> 
> Please leave a review !


	10. The most resilient heart : Chapter 2

_Present_

_She can't stop the tears_ _from falling,_ _can't help the sobs_ _that_ _shake her body and she pauses,_ has _to pause, has to get herself together in order to continue her story. So she takes a deep breath, a wobbly one, meant to push away the distress this event brought upon her, sniffles one last time and wipes her face with the back of her hand._

_She has never forgotten_ _—_ _how could she?_ _—_ _but with time the pain has eased, it's become more bearable. Time allowed her to keep living her life despite the loss and hollow her mother's doing brought to her heart, despite the scar that will_ never _go away. It took her time, a long time, and even if she was able to keep up appearances and pretend she wasn't missing a part of herself, the days following the death of her child found her numb and depressed, a mere empty shell of the woman she once was._

" _I thought..._ _"_ _She breathes again, her voice trembling as she speaks, closing her eyes to calm herself down, her palm flat against the grass, fingers fidgeting with it sometimes, feeling, focusing, centering her thoughts._

" _After your death, I thought she couldn't hurt me anymore. But I was wrong, Daniel. That day, when she took the life I carried inside me, when she killed my baby, she broke me. Had she managed to take Robin too, I think I might have died of grief. The pain... It was so intense. Daniel you have no idea how it felt. I couldn't even breathe anymore. I was devastated when you died, and yet this was even worse, a pain so violent I thought it would never abate. Robin never left my side after that moment. It was him who kept me anchored to this world. He saved me a second time, stopped me from giving up again. He was all I had at this moment. He was all I had left..._ _"_

* * *

Fourteen months ealier

After Cora's attack

The long road to King Leopold's castle is silent.

After discovering the couple on the ground, his ex-fiancé too lethargic and shocked and wrecked to talk or even move, the man himself helped Robin to stand up and carry Regina into his own carriage, while his soldiers retrieved their weapons and horses, Rocinante still a bit unsteady from having been knocked out, Robin's horse standing not too far away from where they were. No words were needed, the state they both were in a good indication of what must have happened, even though the King's suspicion was easy to catch, especially when a guard climbed with them in the wagon and stares at them with defiance.

Once in the carriage, and sitting next to Robin, Regina immediately snuggles against him, uncaring of the proximity between them that could be considered improper in front of a King. Her body is curled up and pressed against her husband's side, her knees folded against his thigh, her head pillowed on his shoulder, her fingers gripping his shirt as she gazes blankly through the window.

Robin's arms are wrapped around her, his cheek against her hair, his gaze following hers outside and none of them utter a word aside from Robin's request to stop by Ruth's farm. In his grief, he finds enough sense to realize they need to warn their friends, to tell them what happened, tell them not to look for them, they are safe —alive, would be more accurate, because will they ever be safe again?— at least for now. David knows the path to the camp, he will bring them the news, and the farm is on their way.

It takes all his willpower to let go of his wife and go talk to Ruth, with a strangled voice carrying a broken heart. Ruth welcomes the news with tearful eyes and the concern of a mother, of a  _real_  one, asking after him, after Regina, checking him for injuries, trying to get a good look at the young woman, gasping at the sight of her through the window, perfectly still and almost lifeless, the only evidence of her living being the silent tears falling down those brown eyes, those brown eyes that once held so much life, now looking through her. She offers her help, a shoulder to cry on, a bed to sleep on, but Robin dismisses it, tells her they need privacy, just the two of them, away from everyone they know for a few days, and most of all they don't want to endanger her, should Cora come back. He doesn't mention the fact that Leopold has obviously recognized them and he has truly no idea if the man will be willing to let them go or not, because he doesn't want to worry her more than she already is. Ruth understands, releases his hand with a kiss on the cheek and the warmest hug she can muster, before rubbing his back in a vain attempt to comfort him.

When they arrive to the King's castle, Robin carries Regina into a room the man led them to, and Leopold offers for his private healer to take a look at them. Regina is still too disconnected from the world to react, but Robin accepts, briefly explains what happened, letting the savant man check his sore throat, then waits outside the room while his wife is being tend to.

He uses this time to answer the King's questions, glancing to the guards around, forcing through his still raspy voice from having been strangled almost to death. Leopold recognized him from the many warrants from King Georges, and is curious to know what it was that led Regina to end up on the side of a road with the most wanted thief in all the kingdoms, almost four years after she inexplicably disappeared from her bedroom, two days before their wedding.

Robin tells him everything. Sensing the man's confusion and desire to understand behind his evident suspicion, hoping that the horrible truth will put him on their side. He explains what Cora did to Regina to force her to marry him, how she killed a man to ensure her daughter would become Queen. He tells him that she ran away, and he found her, took her in, and with time, fell in love with her. He finishes his story on the day's events, on how Cora didn't even flinch when she coldly destroyed her daughter's child inside her, before almost killing him too.

Leopold listens without a word, nodding sometimes, often frowning, but never interrupting him. Even after Robin is done, it takes the man a moment to speak.

"I didn't think she would go that far so her daughter could marry me. She pushed for the wedding, and I could see how proud and excited she was at he idea, but, she seemed like a kind woman."

The door opens to reveal the healer, an apologetic look on his face when he meets Robin's eyes. "Your wife is..." He looks for the right words, because  _alright_  or  _healthy_  sound wrong, so he ponders, "physically unharmed. No permanent damage has been done. But she's going through a lot of pain, emotionally." He takes another breath, a deep one, heavy. "I'm sorry." he says, shaking his head. "There was nothing I could do. The baby is gone."

The information was already a certainty in Robin's mind, but hearing it is bringing tears to his eyes, shakes him, hurts him. He has to turn his back on the two men before he lets a single tear roll down his cheek, fighting to keep the others in, breathing through his nose to keep his composure. A large hand is on his shoulder, a gentle voice reaching his ears "Go with your wife. I think you need each other right now. I need to think about all this, make a decision. I'll come talk to you in a moment."

The King doesn't even give him time to answer before he disappears with the healer, leaving Robin with no other company but his grief. Here, alone in a hallway, with no one to hear or witness, he lets himself go. He cries everything he has in him, because he knows,  _he knows_ , that the moment he walks through that door, the moment he sees his wife, he won't show any sign of weakness. He won't show her how deeply affected he is by the loss of their child, how scared he was when he thought he would die, how strong his heartbreak is at seeing her so down. He knows she needs him. He knows he's the only one able to get her out of this stupor state she appears to be stuck in, so when he straightens his spine and pulls on the doorknob, it's with a face showing no trace of tears.

And there she is.

Lying in the most giant bed he's ever seen, covered to the waist by immaculate sheets, wearing a blue nightgown probably made of pure silk from the sight of it. Her head is turned to the window, a hand resting on her stomach, and she doesn't hear him coming in so she stays still. He notices the necklace he bought her resting on the bedside nightstand, and can't help the guilt to build within him. He led her to this display, wanting to buy her something nice. If he hadn't... But thinking of this over and over again won't do them any good.

Robin takes a few hesitant steps before calling her name softly, his voice almost desperate.

She turns her face to look at him, and her gaze is empty of everything that makes her  _her,_ Regina. Every sparkle of joy, fury, excitement, _life,_  all gone, the shining dark of her eyes replaced by a dull deep grey. Even when they weren't speaking to each other, she's never looked that broken, that hopeless. She tries a weak smile, a fake one, he knows, the corner of her lips tipping up so slightly he almost misses it, and it has a tear rolling down her face, but he takes it as his cue to join her. He removes his boots before climbing onto the bed next to her, his arms wide open. She curls up in his embrace immediately, her fingers gripping him, her face buried in his chest, their legs tangled through the sheets.

Robin rubs her back in a movement he hopes to be soothing, while she sniffles, and sobs, and cries, almost screaming her pain, almost choking on her grief, and clutches to him even more tightly with every wave of sorrow that passes upon her. He presses a path of millions of kisses on her forehead, in her hair, shushes her with kind and reassuring words, until he feels her melting against him, finally letting go, finally letting him temper her pain.

It takes a long time for her to cry her heart out until she has no strength left, until she's exhausted all her tears, her voice hoarse from her screams, her head pounding with the effort and her body boneless from weariness.

She's still against him, has been for a long while now, and he thinks for a second that maybe she fell asleep, but she shifts in his arms, cuddles even closer if it's possible, their bodies angled so close there is no space left between them.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs against his chest, the sobs having left her voice croaky and trembling.

One of his hands strokes her head, getting lost in her hair, while he pulls back just enough to look at her. "For what?"

"It's my fault," she shrugs, her tone heavy with guilt, and he shakes his head immediately, refuses to let her think she has something to do with that tragedy.

"How can you even think that?"

"I... What she did... She hurt you because of me, Robin, because I provoked her. If I'd never stayed with you and the men, if I'd gone my way and disappeared as I had planned, you would have been safe."

He sits up in the bed, startling her but bringing her with him anyway, watching her confused gaze when he answers dryly "No, Regina! Never think you're not worth it! I'd never regret  _you_  entering  _my_ life. In fact, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he adds with a smile, the hand in her hair now caressing her cheek lovingly, when she still looks doubtfully at him.

"But we lost a child! And if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have nearly died today, Robin!" she insists, but he cuts her off.

"If it wasn't for you, I would have died four months ago, killed by an archer in the middle of a fight, or hung by Nottingham a few days later."

"You don't know that!"

"I do!"

His voice is so firm it makes her almost jump back, and she can't find any answer to come up with, so she just watches him intensely, not convinced in the slightest, her face blank although carrying the tiredness that weights upon her shoulders.

"Can't you just see how much I love you?" he insists, his tone calmer, softer, more loving and caring. "There is no way I'm letting you go or regretting my choice to be with you. You're my everything, why can't you just accept that?" he says, bringing her back to his chest, her face tucked under his chin, fingers playing with her hair while hers wander on his chest absentmindedly.

It takes her a moment, but she seems to silently accept his words, because she states flatly "She will not stop until she's killed you."

"She'll have to get in line and wait for her turn then," he chuckles weakly but Regina doesn't take the bait, pushes his chest to lean back and look angrily at him.

"Don't speak like that! I'm not joking, Robin! She killed Daniel! She killed her own grandchild! She has magic and none of us have the power to stop her. It's just a matter of time before she-"

She's interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and it's Robin who tells the person to come in.

When the King steps inside, Regina tenses, and Robin notices, covers her hand with his own, nodding to silently tell her it's okay, she has nothing to worry about.

Nevertheless, the King is still the King, and living in the forest didn't turn her into some vulgar and crude random girl, didn't wipe away all the remnants of her education, so it's with respect that she greets him, "Your Majesty."

The man walks slowly to them, sympathy and compassion in his eyes. He gestures for the bed, silently asking the permission to sit on the edge, and Regina just nods shyly, barely looking up at him.

"How do you feel?"

Regina's head snap up, the question obviously meant for her, and she looks at Robin, at his comforting smile, before turning back to the King.

"I've been better," she admits, still sheepishly, unconsciously leaning against her husband, as if seeking his protection.

"I can imagine." He pauses, senses the tension and shame of the young woman, so he holds his hand between them, palm up, beckoning for her to take it. She hesitates, but complies, and he covers hers with his, his eyes searching hers while speaking softly. "Your husband told me everything, Regina." She looks afraid for a second, almost takes her hand back, but the King continues. "I know you never agreed to marry me. I know the real reason you walked away."

"I'm-" she tries, wanting to justify her actions but he squeezes her hand to stop her.

"Don't worry, I won't have you arrested you for that, nor for the life you've been living since. I think you've been through enough." he says, ducking his head sadly. "I was selfish to ask you to marry me in the first place. I'm glad to see you finally found what I once had with my dear wife."

When he meets Robin's eyes, gratitude emanates from the man, and the King nods his approval, his attention back to Regina the next second.

"Listen... I am sorry for what happened to you today. There is nothing I can do to soothe the pain you're going through right now, but stay here as long as you need. And even when you go back to your home, feel free to come ask for help or shelter, any time you need it. I'm not sure I'll be able to stand up against your mother, if she really is as powerful as your husband claims she is, but I've already sent patrols in search for her."

Regina's eyes widen in surprise, and it's with incredulity that she asks "You... You did? Why?"

The King chuckles softly, his voice soft when he answers "Because she broke the law. Several of them, quite frankly. She lied to me when you disappeared, probably staged the room you were in to fit her story. She convinced me you had been kidnapped, and made me waste time and resources looking for a person who was innocent and already dead. She killed a man," he pauses when Regina flinches at Daniel's memory, waits until Robin's comforting arm wraps around her small frame. "And today she attacked you and your husband. You may not be living in my kingdom anymore, but she is, and if I can set a trial for her I will."

Regina looks at him intensely, almost warmly, still not believing what she just heard. A hint of hope lightens in her heart, and she squeezes back the King's hand, whispering with all the sincerity she can gather, "Thank you," and then, because he could have just arrested them in the blink of an eye for all their forfeits, and he chose not to, she adds "for everything."

The King nods, lets go of her hand, and stands up.

"I know you probably want to be alone, but Snow heard of your presence here, and though I told her not to disturb any of you, she would very much like to see you. It's not a request, but I just wanted you to know, in case you agreed to talk with her." He waits for Regina to answer by a small nod, a simple acknowledgement, not an answer, before bowing his head. "I'll leave you now."

* * *

_Present_

" _The next days were a blur,_ _"_ _she admits softly, shivering just at the thought of it._ _"_ _I wasn't feeling anything. Well, that's not it,_ _"_ _she corrects._ _"_ _I did feel something._ Emptiness _. I was empty, numb, melancholic maybe, probably. If it wasn't for Robin's pleading, all my meals would have been left untouched. If it wasn't for him, I would have never left our room. He held my head above the water, saved me from drowning when all I wanted to do was sink down and never reach the surface ever again. He never left me alone for one second after the King's visit. Even when I was unable to find sleep and was spending my nights looking through the window, he would wake up and hold me for sometimes hours, despite the tiredness I could feel straining his body. He ignored his own needs to take care of me._ _"_ _she says with a surge of affection and love, maybe amazement too. What she did to deserve such a dedicated man, she will never know._

" _But during our time at the castle, something happened. I didn't know what it was then, but it could've changed everything. And not in a good way. It happened one night, while I was lying in bed and Robin was still asleep. I felt... I don't know how to explain it. Like a presence, I think. Someone watching me. So I got up to check who it was..._ _"_

* * *

Three days later

Regina's listening to the strong beating of Robin's heart, tries to focus only on that so she'll forget everything else, when she feels it. A slight cold breeze makes her shiver, instinctively press herself more against her husband's side, closing her eyes. But before she does, she catches the sight of a shadow moving on the farthest wall of the room, and her senses are suddenly in alert. Her body goes rigid, adrenaline running through her veins, shivers along her spine. She breathes slowly, and moves away from Robin, careful enough not to disturb him.

She swings her legs over the bed and winces when her bare feet touch the cold floor. She forces herself not to show any sign of hesitation nor fear, although it is raising in her, when she takes a step towards where she saw the shadow.

"Who's here?" she whispers.

A light giggle is heard, and she swirls around, facing the place where it came from on her left. She can make a slim figure seated on the couch, legs crossed, but it's too dark to see its face.

"Mother?" she questions doubtfully. Her mother doesn't giggle. But then, who else would be playing with her nerves like this?

She steps back when the shadow gets up and walks to her, its face hidden from the moonlight, so she can only see the light golden clothing the person is wearing. Fine quality it seems, but Regina doesn't care.

"I'm not your mother, Regina."

Her heart jumps in her chest at the high-pitched voice, and the mention of her name. "Who are you then? What are you doing here? How do you know my name?"

"Tss tss tss" the voice answers "So many questions. Only one answer matters : I'm here to help."

Regina frowns deeply, hugging herself and trying to see through the darkness, but it's pointless. "That's why you're not showing me your face," she speaks with defiance.

"You don't need to see me to trust me, dearie. Now, my turn to ask you a question." He pauses, and she waits. If he wanted to hurt her, he would've done it already, so she guesses she's safe for now. But she glances at Robin in reassurance nonetheless, letting out the breath she's been holding when she sees him roll on the bed, still asleep, before facing the shadow when the voice raises again.

"Tell me, Regina! How much do you want to make your mother pay for what she did to you?" The figure questions, leaning forward, the light of the moon discovering his face. His round eyes, white teeth, large smirk, and glittering green skin.

She opens her eyes suddenly, finding it hard to breathe, feeling panic invade her, unable to control it. She sits on the bed abruptly, body trembling, hands shaking, breath short and erratic. It takes her a second, but she finally realizes where she is, what happened, notices Robin who is now fully awake and concerned next to her. One of his hands is on her back, the other holding hers, and she takes a deep breath, tries to calm her ragging breathing and frantic heartbeat.

"Regina, calm down," she hears him speaks softly. "It was just a dream."

She lifts her head to scan the room, but it's too dark, she can't see anything. So she removes the covers and walks away from the bed, eyes searching for him, for the thing with a sparkling skin, for its shadow, but there's nothing.

"Regina?"

She turns around again, goes to the couch where she met the creature, but it's empty.

"Regina!"

She's startled when hands land on her shoulders, turns on her heels to meet Robin's worried gaze, sighs in relief, shakes her head, ignores his call of her name again when she rests her forehead against his chest. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, presses a kiss to the top of her head and rubs her back.

"It was just a dream," she breathes, for herself more than for him. She pulls away to look at the moonlight through the large window, and steps out of his embrace, walking to face the outside, absentmindedly watching the landscape in front of her.

It's only a couple of minutes later that she hears him move behind her, and hesitantly wind his arms around her waist in a loose hold. She leans back, presses her back to his front, her hands reaching for his forearms, the back of her head finding the crook of his neck.

It was just a dream.

* * *

_Present_

" _I never dreamt of that creature again, dismissed it as just another nightmare, so I didn't talk to Robin about it, nor to anyone else. For the next days, I was afraid though, and it didn't help me find sleep. Not that I did before anyway._ _"_ _She shrugs._ _"_ _I only learned what that thing was a long time after that day, but I'll tell you later, so much more happened in the meantime._ _"_

_She takes a deep breath, and refocuses._

" _After his visit, neither the King nor Snow bothered us. We could wander in the gardens or the castle for a while without being disturbed. They gave us the privacy, the intimacy, we needed, to recover, to heal, to lick our wounds. But I hadn't forgotten Snow's wish to see me. I turned the idea in my head for days, talked with Robin about it. I didn't want to face her, I didn't want to face my past after my present had been so damaged. But I knew I had to._

_It took me a week after we arrived to take the decision, but we finally asked for a meeting. You have no idea how anxious I was..._ _"_

* * *

Five days later

The moment they enter the small garden, her grip on his hand tightens, her body goes rigid, and for a second he fears that she's going to turn her back on the young girl waiting for them on the bench and run away to lock herself up in her chamber.

But she doesn't.

Instead, she takes a deep breath, and keeps walking, head high, though he can sense the struggle in her every movement.

It's not long before Snow spots them. She turns around quickly, a wide smile on her face and probably without thinking, with the innocence of a girl her age, a girl who knows nothing of the world, she runs into Regina's arms, hugging the woman fiercely. Robin watches his wife tense, her hands hanging in the air above the child's shoulders with the surprise of the gesture, but not daring to touch her. Her face is strained with pain and hurt and awful memories of another lifetime, as well as the really vivid one's from last week. He sees her fight to keep the tears at bay, to keep her composure, and for a moment he thinks she won't be able to but at the last second, when Snow raises two brown and shining eyes at her, Regina's face is bearing a small smile —another fake one, she became very good at it lately, at pretending, even with him, but he knows her better than anyone else— and she waves her fingers in the girl's long dark hair, nothing but softness in her gesture.

"Father told me you haven't been feeling well. He told me not to disturb you, but I'm glad you accepted to talk with me."

She's nothing but innocence and genuine ignorance when Regina looks down at her, and she can't help but feel, even a little, the need to shake her and open her blind eyes on the harsh reality of the world.

But she won't.

The world is made of bad choices, of pain and death and suffering and Snow will find out probably soon enough. Maybe it's best to let the utopia of a perfect world linger a little longer.

Regina pulls back from her embrace, turning slightly to look at her husband, her hand cupping his elbow and rubbing up and down with her thumb.

"Snow, I'd like you to meet my husband, Robin," She says softly, and the girl's eyes open with surprise and amazement but also confusion. But she's too polite to ask, instead bows her head at the man as Regina is introducing her to him. "Robin, this is Snow White, King Leopold's daughter and princess of this kingdom."

"It's a honor to finally meet you, your highness," Robin says reverently, smiling and bowing with respect.

"Should we take a seat?" Regina offers, gesturing toward the large bench where the girl has been waiting for them.

They walk slowly behind the princess, and Robin murmurs to Regina's ears, so that Snow won't hear "Do you want me to leave and give you some privacy?"

Regina's answer is an immediate shake of her head, her hand reaching for his and intertwining their fingers. "No. I know I should do this alone, and I will be the one talking to her, but I don't think I'll have the strength to do it if you're not-"

She's shushed by a kiss on her brow and a squeeze of her hand.

"Alright."

When they're settled, Regina facing Snow, Robin beside her, their hands joined on her lap, his presence giving her the strength she needs, she notices the confusion still persistent on the girl's face, but also the good education preventing her from asking directly what she's learned would be considered inappropriate.

"What do you want to know, Snow?"

She looks up at her suddenly, relief washing over her as she understands that Regina won't be scolding her for the impropriety of her questions.

"I wouldn't know where to start," she confesses with a sheepish smile.

"The beginning would be a good thing." Regina replies softly. "What do you already know?"

This seems to ease the situation as the words flow naturally from the girl's lips.

"I know that when you disappeared, your mother told my father you've been kidnapped. She said Daniel took you away because he was secretly in love with you and didn't want you to become Queen. Your room had been turned upside down and jewelry was missing too. Father sent men to find you, and we waited for months, looking for you, praying every day that you were safe. After maybe 7 or 8 months, I don't remember exactly, he told us he was stopping the search, that you were probably too far away or too well hidden, and since we never had any news even from the other kingdoms, it was very likely that we wouldn't find you. Your parents went back to their home, and we resumed our life at the palace. Father invited them sometimes, made sure they were fine, that they didn't need anything. But I don't understand, Regina. You told me you loved my father, that Daniel had run away because what you had wasn't real. So what happened? Why did you disappear? Why are you married to someone else?"

Regina stands stoic through the whole monologue. Aside from her white knuckles and Robin's crushed hand, nothing is showing the turmoil inside her. But when the time to give Snow White an answer comes, she has to fight the lump in her throat to talk in a sturdy voice.

"My mother lied to you, Snow. She lied to everyone." She pauses for a second to gather her courage, taking as much strength from Robin's presence as she can muster, before explaining "I did love Daniel, and he loved me. He  _truly_  loved me. But when we were about to leave to get married, my mother found us, in the stables. And just as I expected, she disapproved. So she..."

She swallows hard, wondering how speaking truthfully without revealing the crime her mother committed to a barely fourteen year old too young to understand. "She sent him somewhere far away, in a place where I would never be able to see him again, and would have no other choice but to keep my engagement to your father."

"So when you told me you changed your mind about marrying Father-"

"I lied."

Looking at the hurt written in the girl's eyes, Regina doesn't think and reaches for her hand, covering it with hers. "I didn't want to upset you over that. But I couldn't do it, Snow. I couldn't marry your father, as kind to me as he was. The night I disappeared, I ran away. I don't know what my mother did to make you believe I'd been taken, but I wasn't. I left, and on my journey, I met Robin." She raises grateful eyes at her husband, and he smiles softly at her, but stays silent, keeps his promise to let her deal with this alone. "He, and his friends helped me. They taught me how to live in the forest-"

"You live in the forest?" Snow cuts abruptly, and she brings a hand to her mouth at her sudden interruption, but Regina just lets out a low chuckle bare of any real amusement.

"I do. I had nowhere to go, and it was a good place to hide. Robin and I became friends, and with time, we realized we were more than that."

"Are you happy?"

The words slip from Snow's lips as a statement almost more than a question. Nevertheless, it takes Regina a second, but her tone is full of honesty, and maybe something reminiscent of melancholy when she replies "Yes, I am. I have a wonderful husband, and very good friends. I learned how to shoot arrows, and fight, cook, and we have parties almost every night by a giant fire in the middle of our camp. I love my life."

Snow nods, but frowns deeply as a new question makes its way into her mind.

"If you are happy in the forest... Then why are you here? Why do you look so sad?"

Regina's heart squeezes as the question she was dreading the most is finally asked. She exchanges a look with Robin, and he gives her a slight nod, one of his hands reaching for her shoulder and rubbing gently.

"Snow..." Regina starts, sadness and urge suddenly filling her voice. "There's something you need to know about my mother." Making sure she has the girl's attention before continuing, she takes a deep breath. "I know you think all mothers love their children unconditionally, but my mother... My mother is not like that. She wanted me to marry your father, not out of love but so I would become Queen and powerful. And when I left and denied her wishes, she got pretty upset with me. It's a really complicated story, but if I ran away in the first place and hid for so long, it was to escape her. And today, she managed to finally find me. When your father saw us on the road, he actually saved us."

"What do you mean?"

Regina suspects at the low voice and fear in her words that Snow, despite her innocence, guessed what had almost happened, but she can't bring herself to tell her the truth, that her mother tried to kill them -and almost succeeded.

"She tried to take Robin away from me, the way she did with Daniel. She tried to send him away, so we would be separated forever."

"But...  _Why_?"

Regina leans back against Robin, and closes her eyes for a second as he winds an arm around her waist, her hand covering his over her abdomen, blinking back tears.

"Because she doesn't believe in love. She thinks I betrayed and humiliated her, and that I have to pay for that."

Snow opens her mouth to argue, but Regina knows very well that the evilness in her mother is out of the girl's understanding. Living in a palace away from the reality of the world is not always a good thing.

"Snow, listen to me carefully!" She resumes, her tone a warning. "I know you do not understand how someone could cause so much pain to others, especially their children, but my mother is very different than yours. And trust me, when I tell you to never,  _ever_ , trust her again. She's dangerous, and if you see her, do not drop your guard! Do not stay alone with her! I know you always see the good in people, but my mother doesn't care about anyone but herself. Believe me, standing in her way is the last thing you want to do. Do you understand me?"

Snow doesn't respond right away, takes a moment to absorb the news, before she nods, a serious look on her face as she speaks her understanding, brow slightly furrowed. Regina starts to rise from the bench, both Robin and the princess following.

This time, she willingly opens her arms for the girl, and when Snow wraps hers around her waist, she hugs her back.

After Robin has bid his goodbye, she grabs his hand, and together, they make their way inside the castle and towards their bedroom.

Once they are alone in the privacy of the chamber the King granted them with, he suddenly stops, and winds his arms around her waist. He looks at her right in the eyes, when he says, "I'm proud of you."

A ghost of a sad smile appears on her lips, another fake one, and she links her arms around his neck when he leans forward for a kiss, looking down as his lips press against her forehead, closing her eyes and breathing out slowly.  
When she pulls back to look at him again, her voice is pleading. "I want to go home, Robin. I want to be with our family."

She's about to give another argument, but he brings her to his chest, cradles her face and tucks her head under his chin.

"I'll let the King know that we will leave in the morning."

She nods but doesn't pull away, the strong beating of his heart lulling her bleeding one, assuring her he's still here, he's alive, she hasn't lost him.

Regina stays safely tucked in his arms, melts against him, until he lifts her off the ground, carries her to the bed, and lies down next to her. She finds her right place against his side, her head pillowed on his shoulder, her arm over his chest, while his fingers are tracing soothing paths on her arm. And even if she knows the sleep she's drifting to will be short and restless, probably full of both old and recent painful memories, full of nightmares too, she doesn't fight it, and closes her eyes.

* * *

_Present_

" _We didn't have time to warn the camp of our return, so no one was ready to welcome us, and it was perfect like that. Of course, everyone was there, and a few came to greet us. Not all did, because most didn't know how to cope with the situation, how to act toward us, what to say. Truthfully, not saying anything was better than all the condolences or apologies. But luckily, our friends weren't stupid, and they knew it. They let us know they were here for us, but they gave us time and space._

_I particularly remember one person though, who didn't understand the situation, despite all the explanations he'd had._

_Connor._

_My sweet, cute, charming, little Connor, who was so happy to see us, and especially me, that he even cried when his mother scolded him for requesting me to tell him a bedtime story._ _"_

* * *

The next day

His lips quiver and tremble and Amelia doesn't know what to say, what to do, to prevent her son from crying and avoiding her best friend the sight of a child considering what she's going through.

But in the middle of all the pain and sorrow, somewhere between the fear and the anger, hidden under layers of tears, there is still love in Regina's heart. Love for the people around her. Telling them is too much for now, having fun is above her will, but comforting an almost three year old child who's asking for nothing else but her arms and voice, is something she can deal with, even now.

_Especially_  now.

Why a child is healing the loss of her own, she can not tell. But just the vision of the tears on his chubby face is enough to turn  _on_  this light she thought would be off for a very long time.

So she waves her hand at Amelia, disentangles herself from Robin's arms, and crouches in front of Connor, opens her arms for him and he doesn't hesitate, doesn't disappoint, runs to her and surrounds her with his scent and warmth and tenderness, the sobs running dry the minute he's against her.

Regina pulls back just enough to wipe the remnant of tears on his cheeks with her thumb, and murmurs in the space between them, "Come on, sweetie! I'll tuck you in."

Connor doesn't waste a second as he grins widely at her and jumps in her arms again, buries his face in her neck.

She closes her eyes, lifts him off the ground and gives a slight nod to Robin and her friends, before heading to the kid's tent without another word.

She helps him into his bed, slips under the covers with him so he can cuddle against her and she can take what she needs without him realizing she's somehow using him as a cure for her distress. She struggles to find a happy story to tell him though, has to dig deep into her mind, below the last days, to figure something out.

Until she finds one.

Connor is fast asleep against her chest in mere minutes, but she can't bring herself to leave him. Her fingers are pulling his curly blond hair away from his face, her ears are making sure his breath is even, slow and regular, her eyes are watching the thumb he still can't pull away from his mouth during his sleep, and his relaxed soft features.

God, she loves this child.

She loves him as her own, knows he's not, and yet she thinks maybe this connection between them is the reason the weight on her chest lessened since she's been here. But despite how soothing his presence is, he has parents, really good and caring ones, her closest friends to say the truth, and she won't use him to feel better. She's married now, and her strength, her energy, the remedy to her sorrow, she has to take it from Robin. For now, she takes whatever she can from the sleeping form next to her, but once she steps out of this tent, she will not relieve this child of his innocence so she can feel better.

"Regina?"

Amelia's small and hesitant voice makes her turn slightly, just enough to prove that she heard her without waking her friend's child.

"I'm sorry about this."

Regina keeps her gaze on Connor, shakes her head. "Don't be. It feels good, actually. It helps."

She doesn't see the blonde woman's face, but she hears her step forward, one of her hands reaching for her shoulder. "Do you want to stay here with him tonight?"

Regina sighs. She wants to say yes, wants to accept this offer at a few more moments of peace, but she just made herself a promise. So she slowly pulls back from Connor, helping the fabric of her shirt out of his grip with precise and slow movements. It's not the first time he falls asleep in her arms after all.

"No," she says gently when she sits on the edge of the bed, her eyes still on the child, fingers brushing his forehead one last time. "As much as I love Connor, I need to be with my husband."

She gets up then, finally tears her gaze away from him to meet Amelia's sympathetic face. "Well, my son might be too young to understand, but I'm not. I'm here if you need me." she reminds, and Regina gives her a quick embrace, not too long because now she actually misses Robin, has never spent that much time away from him since  _it_  happened, and with a simple nod of her head, she walks her way out.

xxx

A week later

She shifts again in his arms for the umpteenth time this night, unable to find a comfortable and relaxing position, unable to close her eyes more than a few seconds without being assaulted by the same images playing in circle in her treacherous mind. Regina sighs in defeat. She won't find sleep tonight.

Again.

It's been more than two weeks, and she has no idea how she's still standing up. She has no idea how her brain is still working, why it isn't tired enough to stop its twisted evil game and give her some rest, some peace, more than a couple hours every day.

Robin's embrace is a shelter, his scent an antidote that surrounds her every minute of every day, his voice a soothing medication for a disease with no cure. His whole body, his whole self, is anchoring her to this life, keeping her battered heart beating in her chest when all she wants to do is rid herself of it and close her eyes forever.

The infinite -and almost annoying- persistence of her husband to take care of her despite her reluctance is reminding her that  _he_  is still here, she still has him, she's not alone, not anymore. She doesn't have to deal with this on her own, can rely on him, on her friends, just like she did years ago, when she was mourning yet another love, another victim of Cora, of her mother.

But it doesn't stop the nightmares, can't do anything against the insomnia. He tried everything he could think of to help her sleep -everything she allowed him to, to be honest-, but nothing worked.

So for him, despite everything and how much she wants to, she doesn't give up. She gets up every morning, goes to bathe in the river with him, or more likely quickly washes herself for good measure, never making it last more than a few minutes before stepping out of the water and sitting on a rock, staring absentmindedly ahead, waiting for him to finish. She then forces breakfast down her throat, just as she will with lunch and dinner later in the day, not because she's hungry, but because she doesn't have the strength to pick up a fight with him, doesn't want to hear his pleadings and reproaches at her carelessness, doesn't want to feel bad because she makes _him_  feel bad. The rest of the day, she mostly spends it in his arms, on their child's grave, the one he made while they were still at the castle, the one he settled under the same tree but a couple of feet away from Daniel's stone.

She's not often crying. Not anymore. She doesn't have any tears left, only emptiness, only a void she will never be able to fill, only her aching heart to remind her the depth of her pain.

Her friends tried to talk to her, tried to keep her busy, but nothing worked. She accepted some of Connor's requests to spend time with her, but rarely were the times when she would do more than just sit beside him and rub his back slowly, sometimes kissing his hair, while he was playing some game she usually barely paid attention to. She never felt again the soothing feeling he brought her when she came back, like that light was off again.

She should feel guilty, she thinks. Should feel something, some kind of feeling, a strong emotion, for her lack of response to them all.

Back at the castle, she'd only spoke when requested, only moved when needed, and though it was already exhausting, just fighting the tiredness of her mind to follow her husband's pleadings and almost orders, she'd managed to hold on, to tell herself it would pass, the pain would lessen, the lethargy would disappear.

She'd hoped coming back home would help.

She was wrong.

Well, not exactly...

It helps.

A little.

It's not much, but seeing the people she loves instead of the place she should have been a prisoner of, the very reason she ran away and unleashed her mother's wrath, is better. But it's not enough. It's not enough to remove the weight on her shoulders, the squeeze of her chest, the lack of breath, the inability to sleep, the nightmares, the dark thoughts.

Careful not to disturb her husband still sound asleep against her back, she slips out of his arms, then gets out of the bed, puts her boots on, grabs a blanket and walks outside of the tent.

It's the middle of the night. The moon is high in the sky, the stars are filling the darkness above her. She'd have find it beautiful, had she been in a normal state of mind.

She walks straight to the fire that never dies off, takes a seat on one of the logs spread in circle around it. She wraps herself in the blanket, and stares blankly at the flames dancing in front of her. It's burning her eyes, tingling, but she doesn't care. Her eyes are already dry anyway.

A sound to her right grabs her attention and she straightens in one movement, suddenly very alert and looking for the intruder. She relaxes a bit when she notices it's Much, standing guard for the night, keeping watch from the platform running along the camp's walls. He stays there, doesn't try to join her, probably understands her need to be alone, and just nods, to which she answers in kind.

Despite the warmth provided by the blanket and the fire, she shivers, but it's not enough to unsettle her. The night might be cold, but she's too stubborn to be tamed by her body's need urging her to find refuge in a warmer place.

She feels empty. She was at the beginning of her pregnancy, never felt any sign of it beside the morning sickness, dizziness and sore breast, but she misses it already. The excruciating pain which overwhelmed her as her baby was crushed inside her is still fresh in her mind, as are the devilish smirk on her mother's face when she didn't hesitated to get rid of what should have been her grandchild, and her despising look towards Robin as she was about to kill yet another man who dared to love her daughter.

Regina doesn't understand. How can someone be so desperate to fulfill their plan they would go as far as killing innocent lives over and over again, regardless of who they are? How is it that such evil can exist in a person? What did she do to ever deserve this person to be her mother?

Regina feels anger towards her, hatred even, is resentful for everything she put her through since her childhood. But she won't let it get to her. She will find another way to use those dark feelings without taking the life of another. She will not become her mother. She will not ruin her life by going down the same path. If there is something she learned from her life at the camp -despite the obvious, it's that no matter how hurt you are, the anger, the hate, the bitterness, lead to nothing more than self-destruction. Revenge is not something for her, she thinks, despite everything that she has to lose. Because following her mother's steps would mean forgetting who she is, was, has always been, who she wants to be and become, and stay. It would mean destroying her heart and her soul, and despite her intense suffering, she will not lower herself to that level. She will not give Cora the satisfaction to watch her daughter become like herself.

A monster.

A murderer.

Selfish.

Heartless.

Ruthless.

But the more she thinks about it, the more she finds herself hitting dead end after dead end. She has no magic, knows no one with it, while her mother is powerful and dangerous and will not be restrained by human methods, not even the King's. She thought of everything, but no weapon nor prison will hold Cora prisoner forever. Not counting her new ally.

Well, Regina is not sure of it. She thought about it every day, played what she remembers of the scene in her mind again and again, and the doubt has settled into her mind. Maybe, just maybe, Zelena helped them. Maybe what she saw in her sister's eyes just before she disappeared wasn't just in her imagination. Maybe Zelena did help to save Robin. However, she did nothing to spare her baby's life.

She must be too much into Cora's manipulation, Regina thinks.

A girl who must have grown without parents and with magical abilities in a world where magic is not accepted by all, could have a tendency to look up to the first person not afraid of her, no matter how insane this person could be. Deep down, she can't totally blame the girl. Actually, she can, at least a little, because she's no fool, Zelena could have done something, every person with a clear mind would have seen the madness in the situation. But just like herself, she's a victim of Cora. Just like herself, she suffered the consequences of Cora's selfish choices. And if Regina can find a way to show her sister the brighter path, if Zelena is willing to open her eyes, she is ready to give her a chance.

Regina spends a good twenty minutes there, adds a few branches to the fire to keep it alive, when she hears footsteps. She recognizes these. She knew he would come anyway. She managed to stay in their bed the previous nights at the camp, but at the castle, he always awoke shortly after she got up. It's like he takes his rest and sleep from her presence next to him, against him, in his arms, in his hold, from the physical contact between their skin they seem to be barely able to break, each of them.

So she doesn't move, doesn't even flinch when he appears in her sight and takes a seat beside her. She's still staring ahead of her, but when she feels him pulling her against his chest, his thick cloak surrounding the both of them, she can't help but lean into his embrace, sighing softly at the knowing warmth and scent that accompany his body.

Robin wraps an arm around her shoulders, presses a kiss to her forehead when she tucks her head under his chin, his free hand rubbing the one she settled on his thigh. He stays silent for a few minutes, just holds her, knowing his comfort is not enough, knowing there's nothing more he can do to heal her heartbreak and soothe her pain. He wishes Regina never had to go through this. He wishes he hadn't been so stupid to get engaged to a woman who betrayed him at the first chance she got. He wishes he hadn't humiliated Nottingham months ago. Wishes he had done a better job at protecting his wife

He shakes the thoughts away. Thinking about what he should or could have done over and over again won't change anything. He needs to focus on the present, on what he has, on the woman next to him, on how much they love each other despite fate kicking them in the teeth repeatedly.

He tightens his grip on her, his thumb tracing lazy circles on her arm, while he whispers in her hair "Still unable to sleep?"

She takes a second to answer, closes her eyes and blinks back an unexpected wave of tears. "I thought being here would help." She shrugs, leaning further against him, shifting to wrap an arm around his back and rest her other hand on his chest. "But it seems wherever I am, sleep keeps avoiding me."

She savors the feeling of his lips against her skin, dropping little kisses that help her feel better even though they're not enough. In her misery, she's lucky to have him. He's the best man she's ever met, the most loving, caring and affectionate husband she could have ever dreamt of. She's not in the mood to see the optimistic side of things right now, but she knows if someone can help her get through this, it's him.

And as she remembers how he's always been here for her, she also remembers she didn't just lose her baby. She lost  _their_  baby. She's been so trapped in her own despair she forgot he lost a child too. She's not the only one grieving. Why is the thought only occurring to her now, she doesn't know, but she finally asks what she should have days ago. She recedes a bit, stays in his arms but pulls back enough to meet his questioning gaze. "I'm sorry Robin, I haven't asked you before but..." she pauses, brings her hand to stroke his cheek tenderly "are you okay?"

He holds her worried and guilty gaze for a second, before love and tenderness take over his features, a small sad smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You should focus on yourself, instead of me-" he starts, but Regina cuts him.

"No, Robin! You've been here for me since the beginning. This was your baby too, and I'm your wife. I want to know if something is wrong. I want to know if I can help."

It's his turn to bring a hand to her face, his thumb rubbing her chin lovingly, eyes gazing down at her lips. He leans forward to press a soft kiss to her brow. "I'll be fine." he whispers, and she opens her mouth to speak but he doesn't let her "As long as I have you."

Realization hits her as if she had just run into a wall. How she, without pushing him away, denied him her affection for days. How she never initiated a tender gesture during their time at the castle, or even back here at the camp. How she took from him the comfort and reassurance she needed but never bothered to return it. How he's been here for her every second of every day and she never once thought he might be grieving too, never once asked him how he felt until now, never once thanked him for the constant presence and comfort he's been.

A wave of guilt washes over her, but she puts it aside. There is no more time to regret. Not anymore. So she does something she should have done sooner.

She smiles at him.

The first genuine smile since it happened. It's not a wide one, but it's something, and it's there, and he's the reason why. She closes the space between them, kisses him gently, but putting all her love for him in it, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck while their torsos press against each other. They make it last, because it's the first kiss they have shared in days, the first time she allows him to do more than just hold her in his arms and press his lips to her forehead.

"I love you so much." she breathes against his lips when they finally pull back. "I'm sorry I lost sight of it for a few days."

"It's okay, you're here now," he answers, and she buries her face in his neck. Their hug is almost desperate, none of them willing to break it, and they cling to the other for a long while, silently wishing to never be separated, to be gifted with the happy life they'd hoped for, to be rid of that demon of a woman who's so eager to destroy them.

At some point, they settle as they were before, side to side but wrapped in each other, and Regina whispers "I wish I knew how to deal with this situation." She almost feels him frown against her, so she adds in a despising voice, "with  _her_."

"Me too. But we-"

"You do know one wish is enough to call me, right? You don't have to try them all!" A high-pitched falsely annoyed voice is heard, cutting Robin mid-sentence and startling both of them, making them jump apart, quickly rising from their seat and taking an unsuccessful step back towards the log.

A green flying light grows brighter and bigger as it comes closer, and Robin wraps a protective arm around his wife's body, but none of them attempt to move away.

Their eyes open wide when the light takes the sight and size of a blond-haired woman wearing a green dress, very short and extremely shiny, complemented with wings on her back.

"Although I wonder why I'm the only fairy around here. You could have called all my sisters with that handful of wishes of yours," she says with a wide smile.

The couple just stares at her, still stunned, still not ready to believe what is just in front of them. They've heard of fairies, both of them, of the legends and whispers, but although magic is something they believe in -how could they not?, they never thought they would ever meet one. From what they know, fairies are good. That's why Regina breaks the silence, asking "Fairy?"

"Yes! I'm Tinkerbell!"

Regina shakes her head, before taking the hand the other woman outstretches for them. "Regina. And this is my husband, Robin."

"Very good choice, I must say," the fairy comments, winking at Regina as she can't help but admire the man in front of her. She doesn't give them time to answer, clasping both her hands together with more energy than the couple in front of her possesses. "So tell me, what can I do to help?"

Regina and Robin glance between the fairy and each other, not knowing where to begin, not knowing what to say. This is not something they thought would ever happen to them.

It's Robin who clears his throat, and starts "We... uhm... We need a way to defeat a powerful sorceress."

Tinkerbell cocks her head to the side, surprise showing on her face. "Who is she?"

Robin looks back at his wife, not knowing how much she's willing to reveal to that vision that seems too good to be true. He knows very little about fairies, only that they can help the most desperate people realize their deepest wishes. But their fear of magic is not dormant, and they stay alert, suspicious.

"My mother," Regina replies carefully, and the fairy sighs deeply, gesturing for them to take a seat before settling on a log in front of them, folding her arms on her lap.

"Alright, I sense there's a much longer and complicated story underneath this lack of conversation. Tell me everything!"

So they do, leaving out some private details.

"She will never stop looking for me," Regina finally concludes, her voice thick and rough with strangled sobs and anger, but also despair. "She will never let me be happy."

A single tear escapes her eye and she doesn't fight when Robin gathers her in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly, shushing her distress with soft words.

The fairy gives them a sympathetic look, touched by their story and the love that irradiates from them even after the ordeals they've been through. When she thinks Regina is calm enough and ready to listen, she says "I'm sorry. I can't undo what your mother did to you, Regina. No one can." The woman acknowledges the information with a nod, her head still resting against her husband's chest, hands gripping at his shirt. "But I know someone who might have a way to protect you from Cora." Two pairs of eyes light up with hope at her words. "I can't make the promise that she'll have a solution, but give me a few days. I'll fetch her, and try to convince her to help."

She stands up, ready to go back to her fairy size, when Regina pulls back from Robin and reaches for one of her hands, wrapping it in both of hers.

"Thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet," Tinkerbell chuckles slightly.

Regina smiles softly at her, "You're giving us hope."

The fairy gives a firm and convincing nod towards the couple, before taking back her hand and turning into a green light in the darkness of the night.

When Robin steps forward to catch his wife's arm, the light is long gone.

Regina goes willingly into his embrace, sighing deeply against his chest. She lifts her head to look up at him, a new sparkle in her eyes.

"Maybe we should try to get some sleep," she reasons, and Robin doesn't speak, just brings her lips to his, before clutching at her hand and leading them back to their tent.


	11. The most resilient heart : Chapter 3

_Present_

_Her smile is wide and her look softens when she thinks of that day, that moment, that second when hope entered her life again._

_With her promise to come back, Tinkerbell gave her life again. She found that flame Robin had been carefully maintaining and turned it into a blaze. She lit up that sparkle of hope that had been set aside and drowned under all the despair._

" _I was sure Tinkerbell would be back, even though nothing was ensuring that she could bring help with her. Nonetheless, her words healed a part of my broken heart, and I don't know if it was just the promise her presence held or if she actually did something to me, and it doesn't matter. She brought me back from my dazed state, opened my eyes to what I had to do. I didn't have to suffer my mother's wrath. And just the thought of it gave my mind a lightness I hadn't felt in days..."_

* * *

Thirteen months and a week earlier

The day after Tinkerbell's visit

Robin sits on the edge of the bed and takes a moment to look at her. She's on her back, head turned away from him, hands on each side, her long silky dark hair spread all over the pillow. She seems so peaceful, not at all the way she's been over the last weeks. She's beautiful.  _Gorgeous_. Regina still takes his breath away every time he lays eyes on her, and his heart is full of love for that woman he's so lucky to call his wife. He brushes a strand of hair away from her forehead, watches as her breath hitches and then simply waits as her head turns to face him, leaning into his touch even though she's still sound asleep.

He doesn't want to wake her up, doesn't want to rip her away from this first moment of abandon, the first real sleep she's had in days, the first time she can forget. But he has to, it's the middle of the day. So he keeps stroking her forehead, leans forward, whispers her name softly and smiles when she scrunches up her nose and slightly whines as she's pulled away from her dreams.

When she opens her eyes, it's to meet two blue orbs staring at her with adoration, and she can't help but smile. Regina leans into Robin's hand even more, bringing her own to cup his cheek.

"Hello, beautiful!"

"Hey!" she murmurs, her voice hoarse from sleep, forcing her to clear her throat.

"How do you feel?"

She lets out a content sigh as she's still in the blissful moment of the after sleep, before the recent events come back to her.

"Better," she admits, stirring and letting her arms fall back on the mattress in a low thud. "No nightmare this time. How long have I slept?"

He smirks, cocking his head mischievously, and she frowns. "How about half the day?" he answers with a smile and a wink and her eyes open wide. "I wanted to let you sleep, but we just finished lunch and-"

Regina interrupts him as she starts to get up, but he pushes her down against the mattress gently, the back of his fingers stroking her cheek.

"Lunch?" she asks, astonished. She didn't realize when she fell asleep last night, but it makes sense now that the tiredness has partially faded. Her heart had been full of hope over Tinkerbell's visit, over the possibility of getting help from someone powerful, someone with magic,  _good_  magic. Her mind must have managed to relax enough to let her get some rest,  _finally_.

"Yes. But take your time, there's no rush. I just thought it'd be better to wake you up now instead of letting you sleep until bedtime," he teases, and she smiles at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes, feeling better, flirtatious, not at all the way she's been lately.

"Because I'd have kept you awake all night," she answers playfully, and he chuckles as her hand finds her way to his thigh, squeezing lightly.

He leans forward as she meets him halfway, kissing him, bringing him with her when she leans back onto the bed. She moves to the side to give him some space, and he lies down, never once breaking the kiss. Their bodies are pressed against each other, their legs tangled as she pushes the sheets away, hands wandering, breaths already deep and short. She lets out a low moan as his tongue traces her lower lip, and her hand heads down his body, trailing a soft path on his chest and abdomen, stopping at his belt and starting to remove the buckle.

He pulls back to ask, as her intention is pretty clear, and because they haven't since she lost the baby.

"Are you sure?"

Regina bites her lower lip and nods, but he notices there's still a trace of anxiety there so he grabs her hand before it reaches its goal.

"Regina, are you sure you're ready?" he insists, and the cocky smile is gone, her hand squeezing his as she lets out a soft but determined breath. "If you're only doing this for me-"

"No, Robin! It's not just for you.  _I_  want you. I  _need_  you.  _Please_!"

It's the pleading that gets to him, the honestly in her words and tone, his doubts gone in an instant.

Robin nods, smiles and brings a hand to her cheek, sliding to cup her neck and pulling her closer, their mouths colliding but this time there's more desire, more lust, more hurry. They're naked in no time, clothes discarded on the floor, bodies pressed tightly against each other, and Regina's head snaps back on a gasp when he enters her, her arms winding around his neck as she moves along with him.

Regina has to fight to be silent, because it's the middle of the day, and a tent doesn't provide a sound proof protection, and the camp is wide awake on the other side. But  _God_ , she missed him, she missed him so much even though she spent every minute of every day with him.

She missed  _them_.

She regrets the way she pulled away from him, regrets her actions towards him, or rather lack of them. In this hell they're living,  _this_  is heaven, it's relief, it's pleasure, it's intimacy, and she loves him so much, so very much.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a very strong pulse of pleasure, forcing Regina to tear her mouth away from his when she can't suppress a hiss of his name, way too loud considering the time and place but she's already struggling to swallow down her moans. Robin quiets her with a kiss, before she presses her lips together, and against his skin, buries her face in his neck, muffles herself there, her eyes shut tight as she's overwhelmed by a pleasure so intense her body shakes and quakes in his hold. She hikes her legs higher on his sides when he hooks his elbows under her knees, allowing him to get deeper, allowing him to reach that spot inside her that makes her head dizzy and her thoughts incoherent.

Regina grips at his ribs, his back, his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin, but he doesn't seem to mind, instead quickens his pace, and grunts above her, brings his hand between them to cup her breast and  _oh_ , this is perfect, this is-

Her back arches the moment she lets out a rather loud cry slip past her lips, but she can't bring herself to care as he's spreading her orgasm with each and every one of his thrusts. She sees lights, and stars, and fireworks behind her shut eyelids. She's blissfully unaware of his body stiffening and filling her when he comes a moment later, of his weight upon her as he recovers from his own peak, before he lets himself fall on the bed next to her, his arm still wrapped around her waist, his nose against her jaw, forehead against her cheek, heavy breath in her neck.

_Wow!_  That was definitely a good idea. They should have done it sooner, she thinks. It would have helped her relax immensely, helped them reconnect. Although that's exactly what they just did, but if she'd allowed him in before, things would have been... But overthinking won't help, so she shakes the thought away.

Instead, her hand reaches for his on her belly, and she links their fingers, turns her head just enough to brush her lips against his forehead. She then moves to face him, closes the small distance between them, letting his hand slide along her side and to her back while hers follows the path of his arm, up until she finds his hair. She clutches there and scratches slightly, earning little shivers from him in reward. They end up facing each other, breathing each other, her leg on top of his as she hooks her ankle behind his knee, bringing him closer, even though they only parted moments ago, where he's now soft and her leaking him.

They stay as they are, face to face, wrapped in each other's arms instead of him holding her, her mouth seeking his instead of turning away. She trails her fingers through his hair, on his neck, his face, her eyes closed, feeling him, picturing him, anchoring his face in her mind so she will never forget again how much she loves him, how much of a good man he is, how much he deserves to live. Now she knows she might have a way to protect him and she will do anything to keep him safe from Cora.

When she finally opens her eyes, long after their breaths have turned back to a regular rhythm, she finds him looking at her intensely, and there is so much love in his eyes her heart misses a beat. The fingers in his hair reach for his chin, and she rubs it tenderly.

She takes a deep breath, because she knows what she has to say will break the blissfulness of the moment, will bring them back into their harsh reality. She doesn't want to go back to that state of mind full of heartbreak and grief, wants to lock herself in this bubble of pure love with her husband forever. But she knows she has to, they need to discuss it, so she admits slowly, "Robin, I have something to tell you."

He pulls back just enough to look at her comfortably, her hand falling on the mattress between them, and she lifts it to his arm, holding onto him as he questions "What is it?"

She observes him for a moment. She loves him so much, so much it hurts sometimes, and she misses him even when she's with him, because he's everything to her.

And this is why she came to that conclusion.

This is why she took that decision.

Because Daniel might have been her first love. A man who had her heart for years and who always will. But Robin has not only her heart, but her mind, her body, soul, trust, her entire being and he helped her become the person she is now, helped her change and grow up and  _love again_.

Because they are one heart and one soul.

Because if she loses him she loses herself.

Because if he dies, then she dies with him.

Some people say they wouldn't survive the loss of their lover, and now she understands. Because this connection between them is stronger than any feeling she's ever experienced, she can feel it in her whole self. In the way goosebumps flare just by a simple touch. In the pang of love striking her heart every time she lays her eyes on him. In the butterflies filling her to the brim when they're about to make love. In the way  _his_  smile makes  _her_  smile. How his kisses are the most soothing medication.

Regina sees it now. With a less acute pain, she can see the extent of his effect on her. She knew he was the reason she was still here, the reason why she hadn't given up. But how he actually did manage to heal a part of her wounds, how he didn't just kept her at the surface but pulled her out of the water, that much she'd never realized before. It wasn't just Tinkerbell's visit. It was his sheepish confession. Her realization of his pain, of his grief. And then the kiss. The moment their souls became one again.

The moment she let him in again.

"I..." She starts, unsure of herself, so she takes her strength from him, her courage. She revels in the comfort his simple presence and touch bring her, always mesmerized by the power he has on her. She thought Daniel was her true love, but unless you can have several, he wasn't. Robin is, of that she is sure. And true love, as they say, is the most powerful magic of all.

"After Tinkerbell came to us, I thought about something, something I didn't think was possible. Something I'd started to give up on."

She holds his gaze, a new resolution in her eyes, and she notices a trace of fear in his as he dreads her words, as he's probably afraid whatever decision she made on her own would result in their separation. If only he knew... If only he even had a small idea of the depth of her love for him...

"I  _want_  to fight back."

Her voice is strong and steady, surprising him with the conviction of her tone.

"I don't want you to be in danger, especially because of me." He starts to speak but she shakes her head to shush him. "But I also don't want to be kept away from you. I love you too much, Robin, and I need you. I  _really_  need you, more than you can imagine. So..." She draws the word, her gaze a bit sheepish because she actually thought of doing the exact opposite of what she's about to say. "I won't run away. I won't hide. Not anymore. I don't mean I will confront her tomorrow out in the open, but I won't stay hidden at the camp for the next years as I did in the beginning. And I won't let you down. I will  _fight_ , Robin. I will fight her, for you, for  _us_ , what we have and what we lost,"

She pauses, looks down, whispering the next words, because it's what led her here, the reason why she ran away from a wealthy loveless wedding.

" _For me_." And then raising her head to look up at him "I won't let her take you like she took Daniel and our baby. As soon as Tinkerbell is back, I want to work on a plan to definitely be free of my mother's wrath. She's done hurting us, she went too far."

She finishes her speech in a calm voice, almost surprising herself by the softness and acceptance of her tone, her lack of anger, not at all the way she was when she lost Daniel, because thanks to Robin she learned to love instead of hate, and she's not a child anymore. She's a woman, a wife, a friend, and if she has to give her life to save Robin from her mother, if it is what it takes to save the man she loves, then she will do it in a heartbeat.

Robin doesn't speak, doesn't answer, just looks at her, looks at  _her_ , really, deeply, and he brings a hand to her face, smiles as she leans into its warmth, bringing her own hand to cover his.

"I'm glad you said that. Because there's no way in hell I'm going to let that woman come between us." Regina smiles softly at him, as he continues. "I don't know what I would do without you. I didn't know it was possible to love someone that much before you, Regina. You're my whole world, and I will do everything within my power to build us a safe future."

Regina leans forward when he's done, and presses their lips together. It's soft, but full of promises, soothing. When she pulls back, hesitation has taken place on her face, because she knows he won't leave her, but the next part of her plan is more complicated.

Because it's not just them. They're married, partners for life, but their family is more extended than just the two of them and their lost child, and Regina is more than aware that every person who will take her side is also taking the risk of never returning from the fight.

"Robin," she calls softly, her face only inches from his, her hand still on his. "There is something else." He frowns deeply, a question in his eyes, and she sits in the bed, lets him do the same. "I don't want to bring our friends into a battle they didn't ask to be a part of. I won't force them to fight for me if they don't want to."

"So let's ask them!"

He starts getting up from the bed, bends over to gather his scattered clothes, and she looks at him with a lifted brow and an opened mouth. "Now?"

He stops and turns to face her, saying in the most natural voice, "Better not waste any time, don't you think?"

In front of her slight pout, because she was clearly enjoying the naked closeness between them, the intimacy, the reconnection, he smirks, leans forward to brush his fingers along her hairline, tucking a lock behind her ear, and bringing her face close to his.

"Don't worry! Now that I finally have you back, I have no intentions to stop enjoying that wonderful body of yours, my love!"

She smacks his arm playfully, falsely offended, because a smile has pierced through her serious façade, but all he does is press his lips to hers, receding with a finger tucked under her chin to force her to keep his gaze.

"We will start back right where we left off tonight, once everyone is heavily sleeping. That way you won't have to hold back." His smirk breaks into a wide grin when he finally sees that sparkle back in her eyes, and she grins back, squeezes the hand that holds his weight on the mattress and kisses him one last time.

"Deal!"

xxx

"Are you seriously asking us that?"

The force and anger in John's voice pains her, because if she wasn't sure he would endanger his family by risking his life to help her, she hoped that at least, he would consider the idea. She shakes her head, raises a hand to halt him, steps forward, an apology on her tongue.

"How could you even  _think_  we wouldn't want to fight by your side?" Alan states solemnly.

Regina stops in her tracks, freezes, mouth open as she was about to talk, her features shifting from concern to confusion, then realization, and her eyes wander among the faces staring at her, because she was wrong.

They are not shocked because she dared to ask them if they would fight for her in this new war. They are hurt that the thought of them staying away from it ever crossed her mind. That she considered they would turn their back on her. That they would let her and Robin down.

"But-" she starts, and Eric closes the distance between them, reaches out for her hand and brings it to his chest, drawing her gaze to his face as he talks to her.

"Not buts! We're a team, all of us," he says warmly, gesturing behind him. "And we almost lost you twice already. Do not ask us to back off now when we finally have the opportunity to protect you."

She stares at him, disbelief and gratefulness fighting in her mind and eyes, bewildered by these people's kindness and yes, they proved themselves to her more than once, but she'll never stop being amazed by how lucky she is for having them in her life.

Regina squeezes his hand back, not looking away, and when he starts pulling her in a hug she meets him willingly, wraps her free arm around him as her other is still stuck between them. She holds onto him, closes her eyes, feels the reassuring rubbing of his hand on her back, and her voice is low and shaky when she murmurs, although loud enough that he won't be the only one to hear.

"Thank you."

She feels him tighten his grip on her before loosening, pulling back just enough to press a kiss to her temple.

"Always."

The warmth of Robin's palm settles in her lower back when Eric steps back so she can face all of her friends. John, Alan, Eric, Arthur, Dean, Gilbert, Colin, Gauthier, Rowan, Ian, Anton, and all the others.

She's a woman among men, something that could be considered improper in this place and time, but right now, with her friends around her and her husband by her side, she could not be prouder to be a part of them.

Right now, she's exactly where she belongs.

* * *

_Present_

" _Consciously or not, we increased the intensity of our training. By stepping out of my stupor state, I decided to keep my mind as busy as I could to prevent myself from sinking again, so I went back to the training field. It took me a lot of efforts. My baby was still very present in my thoughts and the weariness hadn't disappeared fully, despite the fact I finally was able to close my eyes long enough to actually sleep for several hours, but I managed to find a balance between my grief and my duty, as tenuous as it was._

_We had a few new recruits, young and older kids, most of the time orphans, sometimes runners, loners, that we didn't want to involve in the fight. But we kept forming them anyway. Teaching was a good way to practice and focus, to remember the basics._

_It was also a good way to keep myself busy. I had one particular student, with who I'd bonded from the start. We met not very long after my wedding, but my melancholia made me pull away from him. It was hard, taking care of a kid, even if older, and this one wasn't like Connor, he didn't have parents to look after him. But I figured recovering from what I went through didn't only include easy paths, and this boy had done nothing wrong. I wasn't ready to be more than a teacher though, so we only resumed the lessons that had been left aside because of my mother's actions. It wasn't everything he needed, but it was all I could give him at that time._

_And as I taught him archery, I could stay occupied long enough to forget for at least a few hours that Tinkerbell still wasn't back. She told us she needed a few days, but the wait seemed to last forever. Her next visit only happened maybe less than a week later, but it felt like months..."_

* * *

A few days later

She moves right behind him, angles his arm just a bit up, spreads his feet with her own, her hands on his hips to keep him straight, the tip of her finger lifting his chin ever so slightly, before she steps back.

"Remember, Matthew," Regina says softly, "do not release your arrow until you're ready. If you're not sure, then you'll miss."

She crosses her arms on her chest, moves a few steps to the side so she can watch his face focusing and his eyes blinking repeatedly.

The boy is young, only twelve. Not an orphan, but a runner. A kind boy she and Amelia met three months ago, as he tried to rob them of their purchases when they were in a town called Rotherhamer, a place they are used to go to a few times a month. Regina caught him red-handed. Literally. She grabbed his wrist as it plunged into Amelia's bag, and only released it when she was sure he wouldn't run away from them. She took a good look at him, from head to toe, to the slim figure, ripped clothes, trembling fingers and fearful eyes. She sat him on a bench at a corner of the market, pulled a large piece of bread from her own bag, glancing at Amelia, who wore the same face she did, and held it to the boy.

He took it hesitantly, muttered a weak  _thank you,_  and bit eagerly into it, his face sagging in relief. The two women encouraged him to talk, to tell them his story, and it took him a moment to decide but he relented. He confessed his father was a drunk man beating him during the day and his mother during the night, until one day she managed to steal and give him the keys to the front door to allow him to escape while she distracted her husband. It had happened almost a year before, and he'd been wandering in the kingdom and trying to survive on his own ever since.

It took the two friends less than a minute to take a decision, and after an unspoken agreement, they offered him a place at their camp.

Matthew never left. He recovered quickly from the months he spent alone, starving, before beginning to help around his new home and adjusting to it. Not only by going to the math, spelling, writing and reading classes that were organized at the camp, but also by listening to Regina as she explained patiently how to construct a bow -it's the first weapon the Merry Men teach the youngest children, because it doesn't require the closeness to an opponent that's needed with all the other weapons, and its lightness is more adequate with their strength-, how to use it, and why. He'd succeeded in making his own before the whole story with Cora happened, but never got the chance to use it until the previous day.

And now, it's his second lesson, the second time he holds a bow in his hands. The boy is smart, but not very confident, is actually pretty shy, and his first time shooting, half his arrows met the floor shortly after leaving his bow, the other half barely scratching the bottom edge of the target before sliding past it on the ground.

Regina knows he looks up to her, looks up to a motherly figure, someone to guide him, take care of him, and even if she's in no state to be that for him right now, she tries really hard not to close all the doors between them, because her own internal struggles shouldn't have consequences on innocents, not more than they already have.

He glances at her, at her approval, her nod, and she frowns, shakes her head, tilts it towards the target in front of him.

"Don't get distracted," she reminds kindly but firmly. "I can't make the decision for you. Only you know if your arrow will hit."

He straightens his spine again, pulls on the string he slightly released, takes a deep breath, and... sighs, drops his head, resignation on his face when he releases the pressure on the string and arrow.

"I can't do it."

"Matthew..." she sighs.

"I missed every time the other day!" he recalls with a shrug. "I'm not good at this."

Regina takes two determined steps and grabs his arm with one hand, tilts his chin up with the other, guiding his eyes to lock with hers.

"And you think I succeeded the first time?" she says in a strong voice. "This is your second lesson here, the second time you hold a bow in your hands to actually shoot. You will miss the target again. You will be frustrated with your failures." She squeezes his arm slightly, a small smile on her face. " _But_  you will also make progress, learn with every shot what you did wrong to correct it, and one day you will become as good as I am. But you need to work really hard for that. You need to learn not to give up at the first obstacle or fear to fail."

She wins a shy smile in answer, but instead of getting in position, he hands her his bow and arrow, his voice sheepish when he asks, "Can you show me again?"

She's about to argue that he had the opportunity to watch her practice for weeks, that he knows very well what to do, she showed him several times already, that he needs to do it himself, but he cuts her.

"Please! Just once more."

Regina runs a hand through her hair, but relentlessly grabs the bow, testing it in her hands, because it's not hers. It's lighter, smaller, the balance is different, but she can manage.

She takes the boy's place as he steps back, readies an arrow, pulls on the string, her eyes fixed on the target, her body in position, her breathing calm and deep. The tip of her fingers is tingling, the need to release always present at the well-known feeling of this weapon between her hands, and she closes her eyes for a second, but just one, opens them, ready to shoot, and she slowly starts to relieve the pressure from...

"Do you know what the sight of you with a bow does to me, my love?"

_Damn!_

She misses her goal from one or two inches to the right as she jumps and turns around, letting the arrow fly without full control over its trajectory. It's still a very good shot, given the circumstances and distraction, but it's not enough to find her satisfied, and she bites her tongue in frustration.

Regina gives her husband a glare, but all this idiot does is grin at her, and  _of course_ , Little John and Alan would be right behind him, eyeing her with a smirk of their own and playful eyes, knowing very well what her reaction would be.

She pokes Robin in the ribs, hard enough to make him wince but not enough to bruise or truly hurt, pushing at his chest as he tries to wind his arms around her and call her name in a teasing pleading. She takes a few steps until she reaches her own bow resting against a tree nearby, and longer arrows made for the adults, doesn't give anyone time to react as she gets in position again. This time, she knows this weapon, knows the exact trajectory it creates, and it only takes her a couple of seconds before perfectly hitting the center point of the target, plastering a smug and proud grin on her face, one eyebrow raised in victory when she turns to look at Robin and their friends.

"Is this good enough for you?" she asks mockingly, moving towards her husband, her head ducked to the side, the sparkle in her eyes answering his own amusement, and he crosses his arms on his chest, leans against a tree.

"It does look quite good, I have to give you that," Robin answers with a grin, chuckles at his wife's narrowed eyes, then turns his head to speak directly to the young boy eyeing them with admiration. "How is the lesson going, Matthew?"

"Good, sirrr... Robin," the boy corrects quickly at the look Robin gives him. "Regina is an excellent teacher. I'm just not a very good student I'm afraid," he answers with a guilty shrug.

"Okay, enough self-deprecation and boot licking!" Regina steps in, drawing her arm around Matthew's shoulders and guiding him to the spot she was standing on seconds ago, shoving his bow and an arrow in his hands. " _You_  need to stop questioning your abilities, and practice, and  _you,"_  she says pointedly looking at her husband and bending slightly to the side to glance at John and Alan, "need to get out of our way."

She's already focused on helping the boy in the right position when she hears her husband's voice.

"As you wish, Milady."

She can't suppress a smile, even though she knows he can't see her,  _especially_  because he can't see her.

God, that man does things to her even with a few words and a cocky grin!

The first arrow, as expected, lands on the floor, head first, the strength not even enough to dig it into the earth. She forces another arrow into Matthew's hand, firmly turns his body face to the target, shushing his protests with an authoritative tone, holding back a sigh at each of his failed attempts, because he keeps telling her he's not talented enough, that she's wasting her time with him, until she's losing her patience.

Regina cups his chin with enough force that he has no choice but to meet her determined eyes, and she closes the distance between them, her face only inches from his.

"If I hear one more word of that crap, I swear I'll make you eat that bow!" His brow shoots up with surprise, but she doesn't give him time to answer. "I won't give up on you, Matthew. So you sit on your self critical side, because right now I need you to focus on what you're doing, and forget your fear of failure. Now get in position!" she orders, stepping back, and he's too stunned to argue, does as she says shyly, unsettled by the force of her tone.

The minute he's ready, she moves behind him, her chest against his back, each of her feet behind his, one hand covering his on the bow, the other holding his fingers on the string. She ducks her head down so her mouth is close to his ear, her voice firm but soft and encouraging, her body adjusting to the height's difference and moving with the boy's when the balance is not perfect, her arm guiding his when the angle is not right, her breath tickling his hair.

"Do you see the target?" He doesn't move anything else but his head when he nods. "Good," she answers. "Now close your eyes."

She waits until he takes a deep breath, then does as requested. "Just feel. Focus," she murmurs, and she pulls on the string a little more, anchoring his body to hers, letting him feel the strength, movement and angle, before releasing.

He doesn't open his eyes right away, doesn't move right away, and she separates their bodies just a bit, her hands leaving his to grip gently at his shoulders, squeezing, urging him.

"Look."

She watches as his face lights up in wonder, his mouth opening with amazement, his eyes wide with surprise at the almost perfect shot. He turns to face her, and she smiles warmly.

"Now I don't want you to release your arrow unless you feel exactly the same thing you did there. Understood?"

"Okay," he answers, his voice still low with stupor.

"And Matthew?" she calls, as he gets in position again. "Do not expect the same result. I was here to help you, now you're on your own. I just want you to focus on hitting the target. No more pressure than that."

The look of determination on his face is the most genuine she's seen in the last hour, so she lets him, doesn't say anything when he slouches a little bit too forward, lets him catch himself and close his eyes to find the same sensation again. It takes a moment, a whole minute probably, but he finally pulls on the string, his position not perfect but slightly better than earlier, and she stays silent until the arrow flies in front of him and digs at the edge of the target, the shot far from the center but the progress noticeable.

This time, when he looks at her, it's with a sheepish but proud smile, because it's the first time he actually hits the target. For once, her words to not pressure himself with a perfect shot seem to have sank in his mind because he doesn't complain, takes the victory as it is. She joins him, her hand on his arm, squeezing, her eyes full of pride, and she smiles at him.

"See? You just need to have a reasonable goal, not to aim too high. I want you to keep doing that for a while."

"Thank you," he breathes honestly, and her hand lifts to his cheek, her thumb rubbing it slightly, a tender gesture, a caring movement showing him the depth of her affection for him, better than the words she can't voice, hiding the heartbreak and pain she still feels.

"Well, that was impressive!"

They both jump at the unfamiliar voice, and Regina throws a hand over Matthew's body, pulling him behind her in a reflex to protect him, turning around to meet a face she doesn't know. It's a woman in strange clothing, a shining blue dress, of a size so small she would've missed her had she not been glittering in front of her eyes, and her jaw falls as she catches the sight of another small person just next to her.

"Tinkerbell..."

The name was just a murmur, but both the women heard it, smiling softly, and the blonde fairy flies forward.

"I told you I'd come back, didn't I?" Regina's nod is full of hope, and the young fairy resumes. "This is the Blue Fairy. She's the most powerful existent fairy, and she agreed to help you."

Regina's head snaps to the side, to the person who holds all her hopes and fears and answers at the same time. Her eyes water, her mouth suddenly dry as she realizes that her presence here means actual help to her cause.

"I must say after witnessing the way you just succeeded in getting this young man rid of his apprehensions, I have a better understanding of what it is that Green saw in you."

A frown settles on Regina's forehead, and she glances between the two fairies. "Green?"

Tinkerbell shrugs sheepishly at the scowl the Blue Fairy sends her. "Her name is actually Green. She just has a tendency not to stick to the rules."

"Just as my beautiful wife."

It's only then that Regina notices Robin's presence beside them. She smiles coyly at him, too hopeful to be bothered by the meaning behind his words. She holds her hand for him to join her, and he does, wraps an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple as she snuggles in his arms.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your lesson, but do you have a private place where we could talk?" the Blue Fairy asks, and Regina suddenly remembers Matthew standing a foot away from her, still stupefied at the sight in front of him.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" she exclaims, turning to the boy, ducking her head to the side. "Matthew, would you mind if we continue this tomorrow? This is very important."

Her request is not needed, because he may be young but he knows what's going on, heard the men talking about it, so he shakes his head eagerly, his hands raised in reassurance. "No, no, it's okay! Go ahead! I'll practice for a bit longer before helping Much to settle new traps outside the camp."

She reaches for his arm and squeezes it, looking at him softly, breathing a  _Thank you_ , before guiding the two fairies to their headquarters.

xxx

It's only the four of them. No one else came, because the Merry Men might be willing to help, but the content of this conversation is private, has details no one else needs to know.

The Blue fairy and Tinkerbell keep their fairy-size, so Regina figures it must not be freely allowed for them to grow the way Tinkerbell did her first visit, because the curly brown-haired woman is obviously her superior, and a strict one on top of that, judging by the way the youngest is holding her tongue and letting her speak.

Regina laces her fingers with Robin's, whose arms are around her waist and hands resting on her abdomen, holding her from behind, his chin against her temple, his front pressed to her back, his presence a reassurance and support as the fairy asks question after question.

"I just don't see any solution." Regina sighs. "I don't have the power to fight her. I don't have magic, and what she tried to do last time... what she did... if no one interrupts her, she will finish it the next time we are face to face."

"I'll be honest with you, Regina. I can't take your mother's powers away, not in this land. But I can give you a way to send her somewhere she won't be able to hurt you anymore."

"Like a jail?"

"Not exactly. A place without magic."

Regina turns slightly to Robin, her surprised eyes meeting his confused ones.

"But magic is everywhere." he argues.

"In this world, yes." Tinkerbell flies forward. "But there is another realm, one where magic doesn't belong. If she's sent there Cora will lose her powers, and she'll never be able to come back."

"Will it kill her?" Regina asks warily.

"Does it matter?" Robin bites, and she turns around in his arms, pushes at his chest and sends him a dumbfounded glare.

" _Yes_ , it matters, Robin!" she spits loudly. "She's  _my_   _mother_!"

"She's a murderer," he states.

"And I don't want to become one!"

"You've killed in the past, Regina." he reasons, because she did, they all did, that day when they almost got caught by Notthingham. Every time their lives were in danger, when a robbery went bad, and it's not a lot, not more than five persons on her list maybe, a bit more on his, but it was killing anyway, it was saving her own life, an 'it's him or me' situation and it's exactly what they're living here.

"And it still haunts me, Robin! I always did it out of necessity, when I didn't have a choice, when my life was at stake." She raises her hand to shush him as she knows perfectly what his reply will be."And  _yes_ , I know, my life, and yours, and our friends' are threatened right now, but if  _I_  kill her, if I kill  _my own mother_  I will never come back from that. You'll lose me as surely as you would have if she was the one killing me, because I won't be able to forgive myself and live with that burden. And you better not be the one to take her life!" she dares firmly, before he can even offer to do it for her, because the thought has obviously crossed his mind.

A thick silent settles between them, as they stare at each other, glare, to be precise, no one accepting to step back, because she knows he wants her mother dead and he's well aware that she won't forgive him for crossing this line.

"Luckily, we won't have to come to that," a soft voice speaks, bringing them from their thoughts, urging them to look back at the fairies, who witnessed the whole scene in a concerned silence. "It won't kill your mother, Regina. That, I promise you," the Blue Fairy resumes, and Regina's shoulders sag in relief. "She will just have to cross a portal and step into a world from where she will never be able to come back."

"But how do we make her go through? She will never leave willingly," the young woman pleads.

"That is a question I don't have an answer to, unfortunately."

Regina acknowledges the fact with a nod. "What about my sister?"

"I can only recommend that she goes through the portal too, but I can't make that decision for you."

Regina crosses her arms on her chest, hugging herself, jerking away when Robin tries to reach for her as he senses her distress, her gaze firmly on the floor, thoughts filled with the hope of changing her sister's mind.

"I'm not sure, but I think perhaps I could talk her through. I could convince her to help, if she's willing to listen to me."

The fairy nods at the same time an outraged  _Regina!_  comes out of Robin's mouth, but she dismisses his intervention.

"Then it's settled."

She hears Robin huff in her back, clearly displeased by the turn of the events, but focuses on the two fairies in front of her. She'll deal with him later.

"Hold up you hand," the Blue Fairy orders kindly, and Regina does, watches as a white light lands in her palm. She stares in awe at the small object, the shape of a bean, but transparent. Robin joins her, stays next to her but doesn't make contact, eyeing it curiously too.

"This is a magic bean," the fairy explains. "They are very rare, and very precious. It took me decades to find another one."

"How does it work?" Robin asks.

"It will open a portal to another land, a land without magic. Cora, and Zelena, if you decide to send her too, must go through that portal."

Regina is about to speak but the fairy raises her hand to stop her. "I must warn you! The last person who was granted with such an item, didn't succeed in his quest. He fell through the portal alone. This bean is a one-way trip. It's a final exile that cannot be reversed. You must make sure none of you fall into the portal, or you will be forever stuck out there with no chance of coming back. You can't rush into this. You have to wait for the perfect moment."

A silence falls over them again, as Regina and Robin stare at the bean in wonder but also in fear. They exchange a look, one full of the remnants of their previous argument, but the determination in Regina's eyes is clear.

She will go through this plan, if it's what it takes to finally be free of her mother, and no one, not even her husband, will stop her. No matter how much she loves him, no matter how involved into this fight he is too, how in danger his life is, she can't bear the thought of coldly murdering the woman who gave her life. Despite everything, she can't erase her from her memories.

She can't stop calling her  _mother_.

She can't stop loving her.

Yes, there is anger and bitterness and probably even hate underneath, but she's not a woman who thinks of revenge first. She wants to protect what she built, and she wants to do it with pride. She refuses to feel ashamed of her actions, refuses to look back and regret, because people don't come back from the dead. All Cora's magic won't bring her back from the afterlife, and even if a tiny,  _tiny_ voice whispers in Regina's ear to give into her resentment and avenge her baby's murder, she shushes it firmly, because she's simply not that person.

"We will be careful," she assures, looking back at the fairy. "We can't thank you enough for what you're doing. We are forever indebted to you."

The fairy gives them a slight nod, smiling softly but her voice is firm. "Just be careful, don't waste it, it's your only chance."

"We won't! Thank you." The fairy is about to take her leave, when Regina stops her abruptly, a last question on her tongue. "How will I know how to reach you? If I need your help again?"

" _I_  will know," she simply answers, and a second later she's gone, leaving nothing but Tinkerbell and two heavy hearts behind.

It takes Tinkerbell less than a few seconds after her superior's disappearance to take a human size, and she grabs one of Regina's hand and one of Robin's, holds onto them tightly.

"Do not let Cora step between you, even unconsciously. I saw the way you look at one another, I can feel the love you share, it radiates from you," she states softly, her voice kind, almost a pleading, a prayer that they will listen. "You can't lose that, what you have, to defeat her. It's not worth it. And you'll need each other," she reminds, not giving them time to answer before stepping back, breaking contact, and vanishing in the air a moment later.

Regina and Robin stay speechless and stunned for a moment, overwhelmed, bewildered, full of hope but also full of fear. When he speaks flatly, they haven't moved, are still looking blankly ahead, barely blinking.

"She won't change, Regina. Not now. Not after what she's done. And even if she miraculously did, I will never forgive her."

He expects her to argue forcefully, to talk so loudly that half the camp will hear her, to throw at his face all the bitterness she feels towards her mother as if Cora was the one standing in front of her.

But instead, she turns slowly, raises tearful eyes to look at him, and he's struck by how beautiful she is, even in her grief.

"I know that," she states. "I'm not naive, Robin! I won't forgive her either. God, I still can feel it sometimes, the...  _pain_. The... What she..."

She stumbles with the words, can't bring herself to voice it, can't talk about it because she finally managed to protect herself from this constant excruciating sensation tearing her insides, but her eyes are watering anyway, then shutting tight, and she sniffles, lets a tear slip, turning her gaze away from him and wiping her face eagerly, adding in a bitterness and loath he rarely hears from her.

"She's a  _monster_. But she's still my mother, and I won't have her blood on my hands, nor on the hands of the people I love." She takes a step towards him, almost reaches for him but catches herself at the last second. "If we do that, Robin, she wins," she explains with a softer but still cold voice. "Death is the easy path, it's the one she chose. You and I know better than that."

She falls silent for a few seconds, then adds, "As for my... sister. I want to believe what I saw in her when she stopped our mother from killing you wasn't just treachery and imagination. I want to believe that my mother didn't destroy yet another person. I want to believe there is still hope for her, for Zelena, that she's not as messed up as I was when you found me. I want to do for her what you did for me," she pleads, her mind going elsewhere for a second before she comes back to him. "I'm well aware she didn't do anything to protect our baby, but she caught herself at the last second. I might have lost you too if she hadn't stopped her. So please, if she lets us in, give her a chance. I don't know her, but she's my sister. And I don't want to lose anyone else."

When he nods slightly, jaw clenched, face strained, she gives into her primer thought and lifts her hands to rest against his side, where his shirt meets his trouser, the one holding the bean closed in a tight fist. She drops her head as she hooks her fingers there, using it to take another step and close the distance between them, her forehead meeting his chest as she's still looking down.

"Robin, I'm scared." She finally admits, and he winds his arms around her waist, brings her closer, his chin on top of her head, then his lips in her hair. He can feel her closed fist over the magic bean in his back, can sense how she's holding onto it as if it was a cure to the plague, can relate to her fear because he's never been more frightened in his whole life too.

So he holds her close, murmurs  _I know_  and  _Me too, my love_ ,  _You're not alone in this, I'm here_ , and rocks her until she melts in his arms, until her presence has soothed him as much as his has her, and when their eyes meet again there's not an ounce of anger in them anymore.

He tilts her chin up with his finger, presses his lips to hers, a silence promise he will honor her wish to let her mother live, no matter how hard, that he will protect her every second of every day even when she doesn't want to, that he will never leave.

* * *

_Present_

_She sighs, looking down, because she knows what will come will not be full of the hope she'd felt every time she'd looked at and thought of the bean. She knows her mother almost succeeded in breaking her. Piece after piece, day after day, despite the distance and the cover of the camp, Cora had made her way into it, had managed to almost destroy all of them without setting a foot inside it._

" _We knew it wouldn't be an easy battle, but we couldn't imagine it would last that long, and everything that happened next. We weren't sure when we would encounter my mother again, so we hid the bean in the only other place where I felt safe, unknown from everyone else. Your and my baby's graves."_

* * *

A few hours later

Regina finishes filling the hole they dug to hide the wooden box into which the magic bean is safely kept, her palm brushing the ground one last time, before she fully leans back, Robin holding her in his arms. She moves so she's snuggled between his legs, his arms surrounding her, her head resting against his cheek.

For a moment, they're silent. Contemplating. There are two stones in front of them.

Two graves.

Two victims.

Two  _innocents_.

"Do you..." Regina starts, stopping herself immediately.

"Do I what?" Robin questions softly, his lips finding her temple.

She closes her eyes, presses herself against him even more. "Do you sometimes wonder how our baby would have been like? If it would have been a boy or a girl?"

"I do."

She cranes her neck to look at him, and then half turns to face him more fully. "Really?"

"Yes," Robin admits with a shrug, one hand reaching for her hairline and brushing an ebony lock tenderly.

She turns a bit more towards him, eyes softly gazing at him. "Tell me."

He presses a kiss to her forehead, pulling back to look at her, thoughtful. "I see a boy with hair as dark as yours, and deep brown eyes shining with malice. With your kindness, your determination. No doubt your stubbornness too," he chuckles, smiling down at her.

Regina nudges him playfully in the shoulder, but her smirk betrays her. "I'm not the only stubborn one here!"

"Regina, I think everyone at the camp agrees you're the most stubborn person they've ever met." He pecks her falsely offended lips before adding, cutting her off before she can even argue. "You beat all the odds when it comes to sticking to your position."

"Okay, guilty there, I'll give you that!" Regina chuckles, leaning her head back onto her husband's shoulder. Her hand reaches for his chin, rubbing it absentmindedly while she stares back at the stone, letting his voice fill the air.

"I think he'd be a believer. A child who seeks goodness in everyone. And who is loved. Deeply loved. Taken care of like he's the most important thing in the whole world."

It's the first time Regina really hears Robin talk about their child since they lost it, the first time he confesses what he has weighing on his mind, so she listens, lets him finish.

"Eager to learn how to use a bow, and how to sword fight. Mastering horseback riding by the age twelve." She lets out an amused laugh. "Whose years as a teenager give us white hairs, with a clear tendency of running away and putting himself in danger. But who will end up growing up to be a smart, amazing young man." He lets out a deep sigh. "That's who I think he would've been. Maybe it's silly, I don't know-"

"No, Robin! It's not silly!" Regina cuts him, cupping his cheek when she looks up at him. "I dream of our child too. I imagine who he'd have been too. I'm grateful you told me what you had in mind. It's important for me to know!"

"Well, it's just my imagination. But it helps me. Giving our baby the life it will never have is helping me deal with..."

He trails off, gaze wandering over the gray stone, lost deep in thoughts. Regina lets him, watches him with a feeling of sadness washing over her, her brow knitting in concern, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Robin."

He looks back at her, shaking his head. "It's not your fault."

"I know!" she reassures. "I know. But it doesn't mean I like to see you hurting. Although I'm glad you're finally sharing it with me. I may have a tendency to shut down when I'm wounded, but you've been so focused on protecting and taking care of me you forgot to properly grieve. I want you to talk to me, Robin, even if it's painful. I'm feeling better now, I can handle it." She knows he's about to argue, so she presses her thumb to his lips. "I  _want_  to be there for you, whenever you need it. You don't always have to be the strong one, you're allowed to need comfort too."

She's holding to both sides of his face, looking at him square in the eyes as she speaks, making sure he's hearing every word. Her gaze follows the path her fingers trail in his hair, but she always comes back to those two blue orbs storming with an overwhelming and infinite love for her.

"I'm here for you. Always." she tells him with all the sincerity she possesses.

Robin kisses her lips softly, and pulls back just enough to look at her in the eyes. "In that case..." He looks over at their baby's grave, drawing her gaze there too. "Since we agreed it would've been a boy, I'd like to give him a name." Looking at her again "If you don't mind?"

She smiles "I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Some thoughts?"

"A few," she admits.

"Pick one."

She leans back with a frown. "We should choose together, don't you think?"

He caresses her cheek tenderly, smirking. "I chose his gender, his temper. You choose his name. It's only fair."

She chuckles, leans her head to rest in the crook of his neck, sighing softly. She remembers the few names she got the chance to think of before this nightmare began. One is imposing on all the others. She knows he's still alive somewhere, but she misses him so much, and she has close to no hope of ever seeing him again.

"Henry," she whispers. "His name is Henry."


	12. The most resilient heart : Chapter 4

_Present_

" _For the next weeks, we tried to think of a plan. How to get rid of my mother, how to use the bean on her, without exposing ourselves too much, without taking the risk of letting her overpower and kill us all. A few of the men went to my old house, to figure out if there was a way to get inside, to maybe strike while she slept, but my mother wasn't stupid. She'd raised a magical shield to detect intruders. Eric almost got killed when he tried to move further and enter the house._ _"_ _Regina sighs, shaking her head, looking down, remembering her friend coming back at the camp with a large burn on his forearm where a blast of magic had hit him._

" _We didn't have access to the place, meaning we couldn't get close enough to use the bean. So we were stuck, for the time being at least. Anyway, after our last encounter and this failed attempt, none of us were eager to find ourselves face to face with my mother when she was in full possession of her magical abilities. As impatient as we were to finish things for good, we knew rushing into a trap would be a bad idea, that we wouldn't make it out of there alive. So we decided to wait. Take our time to work on a realistic plan. We were safe at the camp, and careful outside. She only knew Robin and I, and because of how she caught us the first time, we were avoiding every place she might have been too. Those too close to the border, or where we weren't used to go before. Donacaster too, of course. Like I'd told Robin, I refused to hide. But I wasn't reckless. We stayed where we knew everyone, where we had allies, where we were sure no one had seen my mother or my sister. But despite all our precautions, the fear never left us. Just as this strange feeling that it was only the beginning, that it wasn't over._

_And we were right._

_One day, everything changed. I received a visit from someone unexpected, someone I hadn't forgotten but wasn't sure to see so soon. Or ever. The huntsman. The word of what happened to Robin and I reached him and he came to make sure I was okay. I was so glad to see him, you have no idea! I got really attached to him, even if we barely knew each other. Knowing he cared enough to check on me warmed my heart._ _"_

_Her tone grows more serious as she braces herself for what is coming next._

" _But when he was here, we heard terrible news. We thought we were safe, that Cora wouldn't hurt anyone until she found us. We were wrong. What happened that day was so important, it was going to change our lives and make us question everything, including our plans to go after my mother._ _"_

* * *

A year earlier

She pulls back from his arms and takes a good look at him, one palm on each of his cheeks, smiling softly.

"You have no idea how much your presence here means to me," she admits, and he smiles in answer, that warm, reserved and shy smile Regina knows is only meant for her.

"How are you feeling?"

This huntsman is a man of few words, she knows that, so she doesn't take offense on the change of subject, instead recedes completely from his embrace, walks by his side and guides him slowly towards a private spot in the camp, away from everyone's ear, the tip of her fingers brushing the wolf's head as he walks gently by her side. She knows Robin won't mind her staying alone with him, he's aware that she's fond of this man, that his presence brings her comfort.

"Alright, I guess. It's been... difficult. Still is. I will never forget that day, what she did to us, to my baby." A hand instinctively reaches for her abdomen, her eyes closing for a second as she takes a deep breath. "But..." She glances at her husband in the background, currently explaining to Alan and Little John who the man is, what he did for her, and she can't help a small smile to reach her lips. "Robin, my husband... He never let me down. He helped me more than I can muster."

"You're lucky to have him. He seems like a good man."

"He is. I don't know what I would do without him. I don't think I'd have survived this if he hadn't been here."

They reached a secluded part of the camp, so they stop walking and face each other.

"Regina," he starts slowly, his tone serious, drawing her attention, a knot of dread twisting her guts as she waits for him to continue. "I know you plan to confront your mother," he starts, and she opens her mouth to protest but he doesn't give her time to speak before he continues,"and I want to help."

Her words are stuck in her throat. She doesn't realize what he just said, she cannot grasp the fact that this man is offering his help with something so complicated as sending her mother off and far away from them. No. This is crazy, absolutely crazy. Her mother is extremely dangerous, will kill anybody who stands in her way. She has lived that godawful experience herself and God, this is starting to get even more complicated with more people joining this confrontation. Besides, she didn't even expect him to offer his help, didn't want to risk his life, so she shakes her head and squeezes his hand. "I would never ask you to risk your life for me."

"You're not. I'm offering."

"Why?" Regina wonders genuinely, because he's a loner, doesn't belong to any human group, and she's still stupefied that he cares for her enough to come here. But offering to fight in a war that is not his, a war in which he could _die_ , is an entirely different matter. "You don't owe me anything. If anything, I'm the one indebted to you."

He is, somehow, in a strange way that is only theirs, her friend. Maybe because she's the only one who's been able to break through his defenses. Or because he helped save her life and stayed afterwards when he could -should- have left without a glance back. Because something happened since the first moment their eyes locked.

It's not love, far from it. She's in love with Robin and there is no questioning that. No other man will ever be able to stand in the way of what they have, no other man will be able to make her feel the same as Robin makes her feel. But that huntsman is intriguing, secretive, alone, and perhaps, somewhere beneath, fragile. In need of a friend. Of someone's companionship, despite his assurance that he's perfectly fine by himself. And she can give him that.

She  _wants_  to give him that.

"Because you're the first person who accepted me as I am."

She's at a lost for words, lips parted but no sound coming out, her eyes watering with every passing second, but she blinks the tears back, squeezes his hand tightly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Thank you."

She's still smiling softly at him when the entrance of the camp opens, and agitation starts to spread among men and women, but no clear words reach them.

Regina breaks the contact between them, frowning, confused, curious, and she only takes a few steps before realizing who it is that passed the gate.

"David?" she questions. A second later she's almost running towards the boy, who's looking for her amongst the crowd of the camp and rushes to her the moment he sees her. "What is it? What are you doing here? Is your mother alright?"

He tries to nod as he's catching his breath, almost bent in half, one hand supporting himself on Regina's shoulder, and she covers it with her own, her other hand reaching for his face, thumb stroking his cheek as she looks down at him with concern and fear.

She feels Robin's hand in her back, turns slightly to give him a puzzled look, both their attentions back to the boy a second later.

"Your mother," David breathes finally, and Regina's heart misses a beat as she dreads the next part. "She killed the King."

Gasps and  _What?, When?,_ and  _How?_ are heard, but it's indistinct in the sudden commotion and panic around them. Robin feels Regina's body turn rigid, straight, cold in his palm, but from where he is he can't read the look on her face, can only tell that she's stiff and still, probably as stunned and shocked as he is, even more maybe.

"King Leopold is dead," the young man repeats, his voice clearer now, louder, meant for everyone to hear his next words, "and she took over the throne."

David's words register and resonate in her head but she can't quite hear them, can't hear anything in the fog that suddenly surrounds her, envelops her. She's deaf and blind at the same time as she realizes what her mother has done, how far she went to accomplish her revenge and fulfill her desires.

Her mother killed the King who was willing to help her daughter. Her mother killed the most respected and powerful man in this land. Her mother is  _Queen_. Her mother will stop at nothing now to find her, and the kingdom's boundaries between them might not be enough to protect Regina.

A sound pierces through the cloud of darkness that is suffocating her, then a touch, a feeling, somewhere on her shoulder, something reminding her where she is, bringing her back from her daze. She opens the eyes she never realized she closed, meets the blue ones of her husband, feels his hands on her face, can finally make out her name coming from his lips, and she blinks a couple of times more before being fully back.

"Regina? Come on, answer me!"

She stares at him, shakes her head, brings her hands to loop around his wrists gently, swallows heavily.

"I'm here, I'm okay, I-"

Regina doesn't even have time to finish because he pulls her to him. She collides with his chest, his arms winding around her waist, one hand at the base of her nape, holding her to him. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, laces her arms around his strong body, breathes the soft scent of him, his presence anchoring her to this world, for a short time at least. Because soon he pulls back, keeps his hold on her but turns to David, whose breath is even now, and who is looking at her with worry.

"When did that happen?" She hears Robin ask as she rests the side of her head against his chest, her attention focused on the boy too.

"I don't know for sure. We live at the border of the Kingdom, so it could have been half a day, maybe, before the news reached us."

Regina pulls back from Robin's embrace suddenly, her voice urging, "The princess! David, what happened to Snow White?"

"I'm not certain, but rumors say that she escaped."

It takes her less than a second to make the decision, but Robin cuts her before she even says the words. "No, Regina! You're not going there!"

"But she needs me." She pleads. "I warned her about my mother. She knows I live on Georges' land, I'm sure she will come here trying to find me! I'm the only person she knows outside the castle."

"This is too dangerous!" He reasons, and she hears the same answer among the men next to them, the few who stayed, John, and Alan, and Eric. "There is no way to know this isn't a trap to get to you."

"I'll go."

Everyone turns around to someone they all had forgotten about, someone who's been standing silently behind them this whole time, someone most of them don't know, but are aware has Regina's entire trust.

She disentangles from Robin's arms, closes the distance between them, her voice soft and caring. "I told you, this is not your fight. You don't have to-"

"And I told you I would help!" The huntsman argues, cutting her off effectively. "It's safer. No one will pay attention to a loner like me, people usually keep their distances. And I know every corner of the Enchanted Forest like the back of my hand. I'm going."

This time the agreement between them is silent, her gratitude unvoiced, her protests swallowed, because he's their best chance right now, a gift from heaven, here to help them fight hell, and she does as they are used to, just grips his hand, and squeezes, nods slightly, and lets go.

"Take my horse." Robin offers, stepping closer, breaking the moment between his wife and that man he's grateful to see helping. "He's fast, and well acquainted with the wildest and hardest paths. You'll be there in no time."

Before the huntsman leaves with her husband to the enclosure, Regina takes him aside, grips his fingers with trembling hands. "Be careful," she breathes with a shaky voice, and his answer is a slight nod, but no words.

A second later he's gone, so she turns to David, to that young man she loves like a brother, notices he's already set to mount his horse again, and she stops him with a firm hand on his forearm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going with him," he states boldly.

"David, this is too dangerous." Little John steps forward, stopping next to Regina. "You're too young to-"

"I'm sixteen!" The boy answers forcefully. "I've been training for almost three years now, I'll be fine."

"Not against my mother." Regina warns. "You're not strong enough to defeat her."

"Neither is he!" David argues, glancing at the man who's coming back with Robin, a horse on his heels.

"Well, he's an adult, and you're not. Your mother would never agree to that, David, you know it as much as I do! And I don't want to be the one telling her you've been killed because you wanted to play hero!"

It's this last argument that gets to him, dissolves his determination, has him dropping his head, and Regina walks closer, cups his chin and forces him to look her in the eyes.

"The fact that you want to go says a lot about the good person you are." Her voice is soft now, kind, loving, reassuring. "But I want to see you grow to become the wonderful man I know you'll be one day. This is not your fight, David." She pleads. "We'll bring you back home when the night falls, and the danger has lessened, but until then you're my responsibility, and you're staying here with me."

David's not thrilled with the decision, she can tell, but he relents anyway, doesn't resist when she brings him against her side, her arm around his shoulder, her cheek against his forehead, waving goodbye and good luck to the most mysterious man they've ever met, but Regina is sure, this huntsman will find Snow White and bring her to safety.

* * *

_Present_

" _You have no idea how long the wait was,_ _"_ _she sighs, twisting her fingers nervously, the anxiety of that day very vivid in her memories. Not knowing what was happening, the inability to help, to go out of the forest and meet them halfway, to make sure they were safe; the horror of what her mother had done and the consequences it would bring, the fear and the anger she felt._

" _Nothing was good enough to distract me. I wasn't focused enough to give Matthew his archery lesson, my hands were shaking so much I couldn't even hold my bow. I almost lost my temper with Connor because my patience was fading away._

_Both Amelia and Robin tried calming me._

_Both failed._

_The sunset didn't do anything to help, it only reminded me the huntsman had been gone for hours, almost half a day, and had yet to return. I knew very well the ride to Leopold's kingdom was a long one, and that he was looking for a needle in a haystack, but I wasn't coherent back then. I refused to eat, got into an argument with Robin about it, and it got worse when he offered to take David to the farm. All I could picture was their dead bodies on the side of the road. I was killing myself with fear, and it took him a great effort to calm me down..._ _"_

* * *

Hours later

Robin almost drags her in their tent, his fingers closing around her wrists tightly to stop her from shrugging him off again, and without a warning, because this is the only way he can think of to shush her for good, he crashes his lips on hers, making her shriek in surprise, but effectively shutting her up.

Regina responds to the kiss, but resists his hold, tries to free her hands from his grasps, but he doesn't let her, uses the leverage to bring her body to his and quickly releases her hands to lock his arms around her waist, pressing her front to his, fighting to keep her with him. When they finally gasp for air, she's not relaxed, but definitely calmer, at least not yelling anymore.

Their breaths are heavy, chests raising quickly, forehead against forehead, eyes closed, her hands on his shoulders, his still winded in her back.

"Thank you." She breathes between them, and he chuckles, nuzzles his nose against her forehead, pressing a kiss there.

"I was running out of options," he shrugs. "I figured this was the best way to make you stop yelling at me."

She winces, scrunches her nose the way he likes, and tilts her head to the side. "Sorry about that."

He tightens his hold on her for a second before releasing. "You were scaring everyone, Regina."

"They  _should_  be scared. My mother killed the King. She made herself  _Queen_ , Robin!"

"She's not Queen of this Kingdom," he reasons gently. "She can't go after us without King Georges' agreement."

She pushes at his chest then, surprising him so he doesn't have time to hold her back when she steps away.

"And how long do you think it will take for her to convince the man who sent troops to arrest you, to help her having her son-in-law Robin Hood's head served on a plate?" She bites. "The Sheriff probably told her everything, and everyone knows Georges wants you dead. She will use that to have him on her side."

Robin is silent, because she's right and she knows it. She also knows that her mother, despite the mutiny thanks to which she got to the throne, will find a way to have access to Georges' resources and army.

She hears Robin walk closer, feels his body right behind hers, his hands on her shoulders, bringing her to his back, and she grips his arms, rests her head against his cheek when he drops his chin to her shoulder and kisses her temple.

"Hey!" he calls gently, and she turns her face towards him, "have faith!"

Regina smiles weakly, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She presses her lips to his, doesn't break apart when she turns in his arms, her hands on his chest, his on her lower back. She deepens the kiss, her tongue invading his mouth, earning a low moan in answer. She smiles against his lips, her hips meeting his as she circles his neck with her arms and brings him closer, pushes him backward until his knees bump against the edge of the bed. Regina forces him to sit in front of her, barely gives him time to ask  _Now?_  before she kisses him hungrily again, her  _hmm_  lost somewhere between the moment she straddles his lap and the one she tugs at his shirt, pulling it over his head and starting to fumble clumsily with his belt.

She moves her kisses to his jaw, his ear, biting the edge of the lobe the way she knows makes him shudder -and it works, it always does. She's grinding against him now, and his hands are on her hips, guiding her, helping her meet him at an increasing pace. Regina brings a hand towards his hair, tilts his head to the side to have better access and revels in the moans and shivers she draws from him. Once she finally manages to remove his belt, she starts to unbutton his pants in a teasing manner but he drops his hand on hers to stop her.

She wonders for a moment why, but she doesn't need to ask, because soon his hands have unbuckled her own belt and are tugging at the button of her vest, pushing it over her shoulders as his mouth claims hers for a hungry and tongue-filled kiss. She gives into it and is a puddle of goo in his hands, and, for a moment, forgets that they are at war, that they're waiting for friends to come back safe, but that's the whole point of  _this_. To distract one another, to forget, be at peace for even a short time, even if the timing seems odd and improper, but right now Regina doesn't care, just needs to clear her mind from the constant fear she's living in.

She presses her front (still covered by her long sleeve white shirt) to his chest, but one of his hands manages to wander beneath and cup her breast, thumb rubbing, squeezing her nipple, palms kneading, and her breath grows heavier, her grinding more insistent. His name is a pleading muffled by the kisses as she tries to reach for him between their bodies, torn between enjoying the acute feeling of him right where she's aching for friction between her thighs, and the need to move forward and break the contact to do so.

He seems to have settled on the second option though, because he's moving back on the bed, keeping her with him, their progress a little awkward, their movements erratic, but they manage, until he falls flat on his back and she's four-legged on top of him, grinning, needy, aroused and definitely unaware of the sudden loud noises and voices coming from outside.

Her mouth is back on his collarbone, trailing a path of open-mouthed kisses from there to his jaw, while her hand is in his pants, teasing him. She feels good, pride blossoming in her chest when his fingers grip her hips tightly as she finally manages to give him a good stroke, his moan full-throated, his chest rising quickly. His leg comes to settle between her thighs, and she hums in agreement, presses herself there, quakes with the sudden shock of pleasure running through her. She shivers when his fingers move further up on her chest, bringing the fabric with them, and she pulls back just a bit to remove it, closing her eyes as his hands slide against her skin, already feeling wet and ready for him, already-

"Regina? Robin?"

Her eyes crack open in an instant, staring at Robin who seems as mortified as she is, and they try to catch their breath as silently as they can, praying that no one heard them, that whoever is behind their tent just arrived.

"Can I come in?"

" _No!_ " they shout in concert, and if Alan didn't know what they were doing before, well, now they are totally busted.

"You better come out quickly!"

They both wince, the image of their friend smirking on the other side of the tent very clear in their minds. Regina reluctantly pulls back from Robin's lap, pulling her shirt over her head and tugging it down, looking for her vest, while he buttons his pants quickly and reaches for his belt and shirt.

When they step out, Alan is still here, arms crossed over his chest, and for once they bless the cold weather tonight because at least their body temperatures are coming down fast and they can blame the chilly air for their flushed cheeks.

"What is it?" Regina asks warily.

Alan turns to give them a better view of the camp behind him, his arm guiding their gazes.

"They're here."

He barely has time to say the words when Regina is running towards the entrance of the camp, searching for faces in the crowd of her friends, turning her head when she hears a voice calling her name. Snow meets her, wraps her arms around her waist, and Regina does the same, hugs her tight, shushes the girl's cries, because there is no resentment anymore, just another victim of her mother, a child who is now an orphan. A child who has no one else but her, and she'll be damned if she lets her ancient feelings towards the princess cloud her judgment now.

"I'm here, Snow," she murmurs. "I'm so sorry, princess. You're safe now. You're alright."

She trails her fingers in the ebony hair, kisses her head, rocks her as Snow lets the fear overcome her and sobs in her arms. When she finally pulls back, after several long minutes of intense distress, Regina wipes the girl's cheeks with her thumb, trying a reassuring smile despite the circumstances.

"What happened?"

xxx

Twenty hours earlier

"Goodnight, princess." The woman says from the doorstep.

"Goodnight, Johanna."

Turning to the window, Snow White keeps her eyes open, staring at the stars in front of her, sighing softly as sleep slowly takes her under, her eyelids fluttering shut, her body boneless.

She's awaken by a strong but low voice calling her name frantically, and a hand shaking her body. Disoriented and confused, she opens her eyes wide to find a panicked Johanna with a coat over her gown, a bag at her feet, pulling her out of bed despite her foggy and sleepy state.

"What is it?" Snow asks, as her maid covers her with her own cloak and hands her her riding boots.

"We have to go.  _She_ 's here. Regina's mother, Cora-"

" _Cora_?"

In a second, the girl is wide awake, tugging at her boots, before quickly following Johanna to the door, both of them stopping abruptly when footsteps are heard on the other side. They wait for silence to settle again, and the woman opens the door slightly, popping her head just enough to check if they're alone and safe. She drags the princess with her, runs as fast as possible through the corridor, knocks at someone's chambers, impatiently waiting to enter, glancing around with apprehension and obvious fear. The man who appears in front of them is already dressed, though his clothes are not adjusted properly, but there is no time to waste.

"Are you ready?"

The man nods, puts his coat on, and heads for the King's chambers, the two women close behind. He stops them with his arm at a corner, and they take a look, notice half a dozen men -probably thieves and murderers Cora has paid to help her, judging by their appearance- are standing outside the King's door. There are shouts coming from the inside, a struggle obviously, as someone is dragged out of the room.

Johanna reflexively puts a hand over Snow's mouth, and thanks whatever higher power told her to do so, because the child is watching her father being pulled out of his bed, forced on his knees in front of...

A gasp escape the three of them as Cora appears in front of the knelt man. She's wearing a long, heavy purple velvet dress, her brown hair delicately tied into a complicated bun, a victorious smile tugging at her red lips. There's a well-dressed but obviously shy and younger girl in the background, but they don't pay attention to her, as they watch Cora addressing the King with a sneer. They can't make out the conversation, don't hear the words, but it doesn't take a smart brain to understand that she's asking him to surrender.

Leopold must refuse at some point, because Cora seems displeased, a little snort escaping her red-painted lips, and Johanna turns Snow White in her arms the second she understands how this will end. The princess' face is buried in her maid's chest when the old man's neck breaks at a weird angle, and his body falls loudly on the floor, irremediably dead.

Snow is trying to muffle her cries as best as she can, but the two adults pull on her hands to force her to move, to run, to escape this fate, this tragedy, this sorceress and the path of dead bodies she seems to leave behind her, lying on the ground in the corridors of this palace she calls her home. They climb downstairs at a speed she never thought she would be able to reach, her heart hammering in her chest so fast she thinks she might faint. She vaguely hears Johanna indicating the kitchen's door before turning on her left and entering the room.

They keep running even though they're out of breath, keep going until the exit is in front of them, their hearts beating frantically in their chests, the pounding loud in their ears, adrenaline running in their veins and fear twisting their guts.

Luckily, the way to the stable is empty. Either Cora didn't have enough men to stay behind and watch it, either she never thought they could escape. Anyway, the man takes one horse, the women another one, and soon they're riding through the night, leaving the palace behind them, the King's lifeless body on the floor, abandoning the Kingdom at the witch's hands.

xxx

"We rode as far as we could, until we were all too tired to go on. It was already morning by then, and we hadn't heard from your mother. We stayed hidden though, entered the forest in case she had sent people after us, but we never met anyone," Johanna finishes.

"I found them when they were almost at the border, and guided them here," the huntsman's voice comes as he takes a step forward, finally entering Regina's line of sight.

Her eyes close in relief at seeing him unharmed, before opening them once again. She disentangles herself from the girl's embrace and joins him, palming his shoulders, his chest, his arms in search for any kind of injury, letting out a sigh in relief when she finds none and he assures her he's alright, they didn't encounter any soldiers.

"Thank you," she murmurs, her voice raspy and throaty from emotions, her eyes tearful. "I can't-"

"Regina?"

The voice startles her, makes her freeze, because she knows that voice, she would recognize it among a thousand, and God she loves that voice, missed it so very much. She turns warily to look in disbelief at the man in front of her, eyes wide and grateful and full of relief, tears falling on her cheeks now, her feet leading her towards him in an instinct. She wraps her arms around his small frame as he gathers her against him, clutches to him as if he's a mirage about to slip from her grasp, and she lets it all out, cries, laughs, sniffles and smiles, a myriad of emotions passing through her as they're finally reunited, after so long.

"I missed you so much, Daddy."

"I missed you too, my sweet child."

She forces herself to pull back, to look at him in the eyes, and this time it's him who wipes the tears away from her face in a fatherly tender gesture.

"I thought you were dead," he confesses, and she ducks her head to the side, her face growing serious, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry about all this, I never meant for it to happen. It's all my fault-"

Henry shushes her with his thumb on her lips, and a kind smile, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deeper than she remembers.

"It is not! I should have stopped your mother years ago, come forward when she lied to the King about your disappearance. I knew she had made everything up, but I was too weak. You did what I've always been unable to. You confronted her!"

"And look where it led us," she answers with a sigh, her hand wandering between them and the princess, her message pretty clear.

In the sudden relief of their reunion, Regina still remembers that she's getting her father back the very day Snow White loses hers, and the girl is looking at them with tearful eyes, even though she seems to understand. Regina gives her a sad smile, apologetic, because even involuntarily she has a responsibility in the young girl's father's death.

Luckily, one of the women from the camp stepped forward, catching Snow's attention, offering her some stew left from their dinner. She guides her away with a gentle hand, Johanna and the huntsman following while Arthur and Alan bring them plates and fresh water. Regina is glad the princess is focusing on something else, because she's not sure she could contain her joy at seeing her father to spare her feelings.

"You can't change the past, Regina," the old man reasons calmly when the girl is away, bringing Regina's gaze to his, his hands on her cheeks, warm, comforting, loving. "Now you must work on building your future."

The woman automatically searches for Robin, who's standing not far from her, watching the reunion in silence, respectful of the privacy father and daughter need. But he's the other most important man in her life, and Regina's sad face breaks into a smile as she beckons for him to join her, linking their fingers softly when he closes the space between them and grabs the hand she holds for him.

"Since you mentioned it..." she takes a deep breath, looks between the two men, suddenly nervous and shy, blushing, holding her breath. "Daddy, I'd like you to meet Robin," she pauses for a second, anxiety growing despite the joy of having her father back. "My husband," she finally lets out shyly. "Robin, this is my father, Henry."

She speaks with as much courage as she can muster, but the slight falter in her voice doesn't go unnoticed, and Henry smiles softly, senses her daughter's need of his approval, even after all these years, even after everything that happened. He gives her hand a squeeze, then shakes the one of his now son-in-law, apparently pleased.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Sir." Robin greets. "Regina has told me a lot about you."

"The honor is mine." Henry answers honestly, bringing a hand to his child's face, tucking an ebony lock behind her ear. "The King and princess told me my little girl was married, and I couldn't wait to meet the man she chose to spend her life with." He looks back at Robin. "I've heard she's very precious to you."

"Indeed, she is. She stole my heart long before I had hers. Now I couldn't picture my life without her."

Regina chuckles, shakes her head, exchanges a warm smile with her husband, not noticing the satisfied look of her father as he watches them.

"And I can see in her eyes that she feels the same." The young woman nods at her father, eyes shining with love and affection. "That's all I ever wanted for her."

She winds her arms around the man's shoulders, hugging him one more time, whispering  _thank you_  in his ear, holding onto him tightly, struggling to let go because she missed him so much, and he missed so much, time they will never be able to catch up.

"I think I might go try that stew I heard about earlier," Henry announces when he pulls back "I'm starving."

The three of them make their way to the tables around the fire, and Regina helps her father settle down, serves him a plate, and one for her too -she suddenly feels hungry, and she did skipped dinner earlier after all- when Robin lays a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him. He tilts his head to the side when she silently questions him, and she follows his gaze to notice Amelia, carrying a very sleepy Connor on her hip, the child rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt to stay awake.

She walks to her friend quickly, frowning and nodding towards the boy.

"Isn't this one supposed to be asleep?"

Amelia rolls her eyes, smiling softly nonetheless. "I've been trying to get him to sleep for a while, but he claims you didn't bid him goodnight, and refuses to close his eyes until you have. Sometimes I wonder if he didn't get his stubbornness from spending too much time with you," she teases.

Regina's look is sheepish, because her bad mood tonight has been the reason she forgot about Connor's ritual, and she steps closer, weaves a hand into the boy's curly hair, her thumb stroking his forehead gently as she kisses his cheek.

"Goodnight, little one."

In an attempt to hug her, he grabs a handful of her hair before she can recede, making the women chuckle softly, Amelia handing the boy carefully to her friend. Connor's legs wrap around Regina's waist, and his arms around her neck. She kisses his hair, his temple, his forehead, rubbing his back and murmuring kind words in his ear, his body becoming heavier every second.

"You need to go to sleep now," she reasons.

His nod is sleepy, and she lets Amelia get a good hold on him before releasing him, her fingers running one last time through the blonde curls on his head.

"Sweet dreams," she whispers.

"Lov' you, 'Gina."

Her face shifts into one of pure tenderness, and she meets Amelia's eyes before telling the boy, "I love you too, sweetheart."

xxx

It isn't long after their arrival before the three travelers take their leave to get some rest. Regina settles her father in a tent not far from hers, and Snow and Johanna in a small wooden cabin still uninhabited, figuring the comfort of walls would be easier to deal with for the princess.

Answering his daughter's questions, Henry explained that the reason why he was at the palace that day was that after realizing who Cora truly was, the King sent a troop to her house in search for her. Cora's magical shield took down a lot of them, but his wife and Zelena fled before the remaining guards entered the house to arrest them. The two must have thought being hidden would be easier than having to deal with constant attacks from the King, even though their magic gave them the upper hand.

When they managed to come in and found no one but Cora's husband and some servants, the soldiers took them back to the castle. They'd been questionned by the Kind and his counselors, until the man realized no one was working with Cora and her daughter. Sensing Henry's distress as he told him what happened to Regina because of his wife, Leopold understood the old man had never been a part of Cora's michievous plan. Worse. He was completely shocked and mortified by what she dared to do to her own child and grandchild.

From that day, Leopold invited Henry to stay at the palace. Not just out of goodness, but to protect him and not leave him alone. Unfortunately, Henry had been powerless to repay the King's kindness when he witnessed the man being murdered by the sorceress.

It's only after stepping out of her now father's tent that Regina realizes David is no longer at the camp. Seized by a sudden anguish, she questions Little John, worry piercing in her voice, before feeling relief washing over her when he informs that Arthur and Alan decided to take him back to the farm while she was eating. She thanks him with a nod, and walks to where the huntsman is sitting, on a log a little to the side, before taking a place next to him.

"You're free to spend the night here," she offers. "It's late, you must be exhausted."

"Thank you. I accept gladly."

She stays by his side a little while longer, thinking deeply, silent, just enjoying his presence, the gratefulness and care she feel for him, the comfort he brings her, because that's how things work with him, he's not too much of a talker.

"Regina, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What do you see in me?" In front of her confusion, he adds, "Why do you trust me? Why did you tell me where you live, when I could have betrayed you at any time?"

Her look softens, and she reaches for his hand, makes sure he agrees before taking it into hers.

"You gave me no reason to doubt you. You saved my life, when I was nothing but a stranger to you. You stayed to make sure I was okay. You kept me company, even though I was well aware you're not fond of human contact... or touch," she adds, pointing at their linked hands and smirking slightly. "And yet  _you_  trusted  _me_  enough to let me in." She watches as he looks really touched by her words, his smile small but genuine, and she can't help but say, teasing, nudging his shoulder, "Well, except for your name! I still have no idea what to call you."

He chuckles softly, but shakes his head.

"This is not about trust, Regina. My name... No one has called me that in a long time. You know my story. I told you about my parents abandoning me in the woods when I was but a child, hoping that I would die quickly because I was too much of a burden for them. If it wasn't for the wolves..."

The white animal lifts his head from where he's lying at the man's feet, looking up at them. Regina bends naturally, brushing her fingers over the animal's fur, smiling as he shudders at her touch, exhaling contently before resting his head on the ground again.

"It's a human name, and they never brought me anything but pain and disdain." He meets her gaze again "Until I met you." She smiles warmly at the confession, squeezes the hand she still holds. "And the fact that  _he,_ _"_  he adds, nodding towards the wolf, "lets you near him, touch him, when I was the only one he allowed, tells me a lot about who you are inside."

Regina catches the sight of Robin gesturing for her to join him in the background and she nods in response, turns her attention back to this huntsman she's so lucky to call her friend.

"I'd hate to break the moment, but I have to go," she admits sadly. Getting up, she tugs at his hand, urging him to follow. "Come on, I'll find you a tent to settle in."

"Regina, you don't have to! I'm used to sleeping in the forest, I don't mind-"

"Well I do!" She cuts him with a smile. "You're my guest, and after the day you've had, the least I can give you is a soft bed to sleep on."

xxx

Three days later

The next mornings find everyone tired and cranky, the little sleep they had doing nothing to help sooth the concern they feel over the events of the previous days.

After murdering the King, Cora made the official announcement of her coronation as Queen and new ruler of the Kingdom, revealing her powers to the crowd at the same time, probably to reinforce her position. Regina knows too well how fear can be an effective tool when inflicted properly -and Cora always excelled at scaring people, even without magic. Panic spread like hay stacks on fire in every kingdom. Having no choice, most rulers accepted her as one of their owns, but none had made an offer to invite her to their palace yet.

In the meantime, the princess has been safe at the camp. But she's scarred and frightened, the realization that the world can be such a horrid place hitting her hard, turning her hopes, her dreams and beliefs into ashes. She hasn't talked much the days before, mostly did what she was told in a mechanic way that had both Johanna and Regina furrow their brows in concern. She's been searching for Regina's presence a lot though, requesting to have a talk -mostly about what happened, but she broke into tears more often than not, cutting off the conversation effectively- but not necessarily, sometimes just sitting next to her or nearby, watching her practice from afar.

Today, she's been silent, looking at her bowl of soup, something she's still not used to eat so early in the day, but Regina has a gut feeling that the food is not the issue. She can see the shadows left by tears on the girl's face, the sadness on her features, the scowl of her mouth. She knows that face, that absent look, the teary eyes. She used to wear the same, not long ago.

It's grief.

It's pain.

It's suddenly opening your eyes to the reality of the world.

It's being hurt and broken so deep in your soul that you feel like your whole body will fall apart if you move even just a finger.

She also knows there is no other treatment than hope for that, no other medication than an answer to your problem, and time, someone to carry you until you reach that point. And as much as she thinks and knows she should be that person, as much as she's aware that Snow White wants  _her_  to be that person, Regina also knows she can't. She carries her own grieves, bears her own burdens, blinks back her own tears, and her heart is still too heavy in her chest to give someone else the strength to move on. Being there for her husband is one thing. Taking care of a child is another. There is a good reason if she put some distance in her relationship with Matthew, despite her growing affection for him. It's the same one forbidding her to be there for Snow White the way the girl wants her to. Naming her baby helped, but it didn't heal her completely. Regina's soul is still partially cracked, her pain too violent to be ignored, her heart broken and bleeding, and she can't be a mother when she's still mourning the loss of her own child.

But she knows who can.

It's a dangerous bet, in every way. And Snow might refuse to leave the only woman she looks up to. But she needs to be safe, and taken care of. Although the camp is a secret place unknown from most, including their friends and contacts over the kingdoms -exception being David and the huntsman- it's a constant reminder of the events happening outside the walls.

The Merry Men are training every day, getting ready for a fight, whenever it might happen. They've decided to add an extension to the camp so they'll be able to welcome more people, now that a person as ruthless as Cora sees her powers limitless by her title as Queen. A safe and secret exit will be designed in this new part, allowing the women and children to escape, should the place be discovered and attacked. The number of traps outside the camp, meant to alert them about any intruder coming their way, is only increasing. Not counting the fact that Cora will look for Snow White where Regina is, and the princess, last heir of her kingdom, can't be found by the ursurper. Regina is certain that Cora won't look for Snow where she's about to send her, will never think her daughter would let the girl out of her sight, will hide her on her own lands.

But Snow White doesn't know all that.

Regina takes a deep breath, before walking to the princess and Johanna, giving the woman a weak and forced smile, kneeling in front of Snow and taking her hands in hers to catch her attention.

"Hey!" She says softly, and Snow answers in kind, her voice so broken Regina barely recognizes it. "Do you mind if we talk for a moment, you and I?"

The question is unnecessary, she clearly doesn't mind, even moves a bit to the side to let Regina sit on the free spot next to her.

"I'm sorry, Snow," Regina begins, finally ready to speak her guilt instead of listening to the princess' grief, willing to start giving her hope instead of letting her drown into despair. The girl raises watery eyes at her, brow furrowing.

"What for?" she asks genuinely, and Regina finally finds some of the young curious girl she saw not so long ago. But only a glimpse of it, gone almost immediately.

"For your father. For what my mother did to him, for what she took from you."

"But you didn't do anything. You warned me! You sent someone to save me!" She reminds. "And your mother hurt you too. You're her victim too."

It's the truth, Regina knows it, remembers each and every consequences her mother's action had, but there is a more complicated beginning to this story, and it eats at her that her own behavior led to the death of so many people.

"Maybe, but it's more complicated than that," she answers, and that's how much she's ready to reveal for now. Because Snow is still too young and fragile to understand, and because no matter how important she is in this war, she won't be on the battlefield, so there's no need for her to know the details.

"Look, I know you are very confused and sad right now, we've already talked about it, and I told you it's perfectly normal. What happened to your father is a tragedy, something you should've never experienced. Something we unfortunately can't change. And you might not feel this way yet, but things will get better."

"How?"

Regina weaves a hand in the girl's hair -it reminds her of her own, how it was before-, trying a small smile. "With time, and effort. People whose support will help you go through this."

"Like you?"

Her tone is a pleading more than anything else, Regina understanding every implication behind the girl's question. She wishes she could give her what she wants. But she knows she took the right decision. She talked about it with Robin since the first night of the girl's arrival, and then with Johanna while the princess was still asleep on the next morning. They took the decision together. Snow White doesn't belong in this camp where she'll only be reminded every day of everything she has lost and everything that is at stake. Knowing her, she will probably even try to help. But right now, what she needs, is not to be focused on fighting back. What she needs, is someone to guide her, to raise her, to teach her what real life is made of, the good sides and the bad ones. The maid agreed with Regina and Robin that it was for the best, even if they all knew that wasn't how Snow White will see things. So now, after having the confirmation that the person Regina thought of accepted to take the princess in and hide her, taking in consideration all the consequences they might suffer if Snow White and Johanna were to be discovered, the outlaw woman has to announce the girl what they decided.

"Snow, I'm not sure you will appreciate what I'm about to say, but I have a plan that will keep you safe."

xxx

Two days later

She'd been right. Snow White had first looked shocked at her idea, refused it with wide eyes and gesturing hands. Sadness had then filled her as a tear slipped free, before she finally relented, resigned, silent. It took a lot of explanations and time from both Regina and Johanna to convince the princess. They gave her their reasons -minus the personal details about her inability to currently raise a child, that Regina only shared with Robin- insisted on the fact it was a place where no one would look for her, an isolated house only visited during tax collects.

She's going to be sent to Ruth's and David's farm. No one will ever think to search for her there, and the place is at the border of the kingdom, one of the most isolated locations, miles from the main roads. She will learn the rudiment of real life, handwork and exhaustion. No palace, no expensive dresses, no excessive amounts of food. A simple life, with ordinary people, in a standard small farm. Johanna will be there, but with Ruth's help, they will teach the princess what it means to be at the service of others instead of being served. Snow will help David with the farm's work, the sheep and the stable, will shave the animals and milk them. Ruth will teach her to clean the house, cook her own food, sew her ripped clothes. Most importantly, she will raise her, give her the love and attention she needs. Johanna might be the princess' care taker, but she's no mother. Ruth will have the wisdom and experience to properly teach the girl how to become an adult.

Regina knows it will be hard. Snow White has lived in a world made of rainbows and unicorns, of servants and titles, of people bowing at her feet and crowns on her head.

But her world has fallen apart, and better rip the bandage now than later. She's still princess of her kingdom, and when the day comes for her to step on the throne to rule, Regina hopes she will do it with real knowledge of the world, with regard for her people and not misjudgement and superiority -some features Regina already noticed in her behavior, especially here at the camp where she had to adjust to so many things, despite her grief.

Time for the girl to get used to the idea and for Regina to gather everything Ruth will need (she accepted to host the princess the minute she was asked, even though Regina never went in person after everyone agreed that setting a foot in her mother's land now was out of the question for the young woman), the princess and her maid are finally ready to go.

It breaks Regina's heart, not being able to go visit Ruth and David again and for as long as her mother is Queen, but she understands the danger, knows they do too. She won't hide at the camp, like she told Robin, but she will stay on King Georges' lands until things settle down.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Regina asks the huntsman again, for the hundredth time maybe, but she needs to be sure. She needs to be certain that he's okay with it, that he is ready to put his life in danger for her, for a princess he doesn't know and who would've never even looked at him had they met under different circumstances.

He brings his hands to rest on her shoulders, squeezing slightly, nodding one more time. "Yes, Regina. I told you I wanted to help, and if this is what you need me to do, then so be it."

Her fingers meet his wrists, and she circles them, sighs heavily, acknowledging his answer. She doesn't even have to move, because this time, he initiates the hug. Either because he knows she would have eventually, or because he secretly finds some comfort in that human touch he's been deprived from for most of his life, she doesn't know, but she answers it right away, holds onto him tightly, her breath shuddering against his neck.

"Thank you," she whispers. "I don't know what I did to deserve your friendship, but I'm grateful," she confesses when she pulls back.

He presses a kiss to her brow, surprising her, because he might have gotten over the skin-contact issue but this is new, for the both of them. When she frowns at him, he shrugs, but the smirk on his lips and wink of his eyes give more information than a wordy explanation.

The huntsman will go to the farm too. He will be the only contact between its inhabitants and the camp. Regina knows he's more than capable of defending himself, he showed her his abilities in a valiant fight with Arthur, and hit the perfect center of the targets with both arrows and knives.

So he will be their protector too.

She discovered the extent of his loyalty to her when he spontaneously volunteered for the job, as she'd barely finished asking the Merry Men to go live at the farm. She refused at first, claiming that he belonged in the forest and not in a secluded place, but he assured her that he would be fine. He won't be locked behind the farm's walls, will be surrounded by nature, and he's happy to help, insisted that she had to stop worrying about him.

"I'll see you in a week, as planned, to bring some news," he says.

When he steps back, she lets him go.

She heads in the princess' direction then, her hand reaching for Robin's as he's biding his goodbye and paying his respects to the young girl and Johanna, but her eyes are on Snow.

Snow, sweet Snow, who's still reluctant to leave, even though she knows it's for her own good.

"Ruth will take good care of you, and you'll love her, I'm certain," Regina assures, brushing a strand of hair away from the girl's face.

"What if I need to talk to you?" Snow asks in a plead.

Regina ducks her head to the side with a reassuring smile.

"Do you remember that man?" She says, pointing at the huntsman getting ready to leave, and Snow nods. "He brought you here the first day. And today, he'll go with you. He will stay at the farm, will make sure that you are  _safe_. Once a week, he'll come back here to keep me posted on your situation. So if you need to talk to me, write everything on a letter that he'll bring on his visit, and I'll answer to you right away."

The information seems to settle the princess' uneasiness a little, and she walks to Regina, winds her arms around her waist and stays there for maybe a minute, in the safety of her arms, in the warmth of her presence, closing her eyes and holding tight, before reluctantly letting go.

"I wish you could come visit. I'm going to miss you."

Curling the girl's hair around her finger, Regina shakes her head. "It's too dangerous, Snow. It's a long ride, if someone sees me or follows me to the farm-" she stops herself, leaves the sentence hanging because they both know, and they don't need to be reminded how destructive that would be. "I can't take that risk. It would put you all in danger. It's best if we limit direct contact for now."

"I understand."

Snow reaches for her horse's reins as Regina helps her climb on the saddle.

"Have a safe trip, princess. Please tell Ruth and David I miss them."

"I will. Goodbye, Regina."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot has happened in this chapter. What do you think?


	13. The most resilient heart : Chapter 5

_Present_

_"_ _For weeks we tried to find out what my mother was planning. People were gathering information for us, people who we could trust, with whom we had allied of over the years. That's how we knew my mother had called back the men she'd apparently sent in search for the princess on the night she disappeared. It was strange, because Snow was a threat to her reign. But at the moment, my mother didn't really have anyone else other than bandits she paid to bid her wishes. The guards at the palace were, for the most part, still loyal to Leopold, and she managed to have all of them whom she was able to find imprisoned or executed, as long as the King's counselors. The fear of her magic and her cruelty were mainly what was keeping her on the throne. One of the first things she did was recruit men to form an army._

_During that time, Snow had settled in the farm with David and Ruth. The huntsman told me she and David were constantly arguing_ _._ _"_ _Regina chuckles._ _"_ _He was mocking her attitude and manners, and she kept criticizing and making fun of his work as a shepherd. But Ruth and Johanna had been quick to remind her where she was, and that she shouldn't belittle nor look down upon those who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Ruth taught her that all humans are born equal, that they all have the blood running through their veins. The only difference was the amount of wealth they possessed. The huntsman said that Snow was learning farm's work, how to live with so little that you have to share and count everything, and even though it was rather hard on her, he recognized it was the best lesson she could ever be taught -and even if not said with the same words, the princess relayed it in her letters too._

_As expected, I received messages from her every week. At first, I could feel her distress, her disappointment for having been sent there, her deep desire to be near me. I answered each and every one of them, tried to reassure her the best I could, but believe it or not, Daniel, it broke my heart. I might have felt resentment against her for a long while, but with time I realized that she was just a scared orphan, just like the ones we were taking care of at the camp._ _"_

_Regina chuckles, shakes her head._

" _Not exactly_  like  _them, her life had been easier before my mother stepped into it. Snow never knew hunger, never slept on the ground nor had she ever worn ripped clothes. She never had hateful and violent parents abusing her. Loneliness wasn't really something she had experienced then. But her priviledged upbringing didn't spare her from becoming just like them, a scared, broken, and lonely child looking for nothing other than someone to love and care for them_ _._

_As time went by, Snow's letters changed, were less frequent. Their tone was different. It became mostly the tale of her life, of everything she was discovering, experiencing, and not about the past anymore. That's how I knew I had been right, when I saw the change, the joy and excitement coming back._ _"_

_She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, her shoulders sagging._

" _I know it was a risk to send them there, on what was then my mother's land, but we had all agreed it would be the last place where Cora would look for her. A princess won't be suspected of being in a poor farm at the edge of the Kingdom._ _  
_ _The huntsman kept going back and forth between the camp and the farm, patrolled in the forest in search of information too, but he came up with nothing more than our other contacts._

_Until we learned a new fact, something I knew would come. Something I had warned Robin about._ _"_

* * *

Eleven months earlier

Three weeks after Snow White left the camp

She waits patiently, holding his gaze, refusing to look down. At the first blow, she blocks his attack instantly with her forearm, counterattacks by aiming her fist at his ribs, but he steps back before she can touch him. She straightens her spine again, and he does the same, still staring at each other, still turning in circles while facing each other.

She watches him carefully. His posture, the position of his eyes, the movement of his body. She's alert, ready to jump at every sign of attack, readying herself to be the assailant, in search for the right moment, the right angle. He's taller than her, thicker, stronger, but she knows she's faster. And the force of her blows is just as strong as that of her opponent. Her hands are opening and closing, itching, desperate to attack, to block, to be in action. Her feet are light on the ground, barely grazing it. She's on her toes, prepared to sidestep if needed, to move forward if she decides.

And she does.

She makes a move towards him, and the back of her foot hits his thigh, hurting but not shaking his balance. He winces though, removes his leg and that's what she's been waiting for. She chases him and adds two punches to his abdomen, one that he blocks but another one he takes square in his stomach, knocking the breath out of him and making him stumble backwards, although not falling.

Regina attacks again, but he's quick to recover, blocks her arm between both his hands, taking a deep breath as he uses it as a leverage to move behind her, twisting her arm in her back. She can't help but let out a small shriek, her eyes shutting tight for a second. But only for a second.

She hits his ribs with her free elbow, hard enough that his balance is shaken and he ' _oofs_ _'_  in pain, but it's not enough to make him release her. Instead, his body stiffens, and he twists her arm even more, brings her closer, his other forearm winding around her throat, holding her to him, trapped.

Or so he thinks.

Her hand is on his arm, gripping strongly, and a second later her heel lands hardly on his foot, so hard that he completely lets go of her, screaming and beginning to step back, but she doesn't let him. She tightens her hold on the arm he had around her neck before he recedes, pressing her back against his front, arching and then bending forward and to the side, her rear nudging his hips, surprising and unbalancing him this time. Regina uses that specific moment of lack of focus and lost balance to throw him on the ground at her feet. She follows and keeps his arm blocked under her armpit, one knee on his chest, the other on the ground, her free hand closed in a tight fist, ready to give the final blow.

But she doesn't.

Instead, she pauses, still looking down at him, not moving. Catching her breath, letting him do the same. And then rising to her feet, and helping him on his, both still a bit breathless.

"I think there is no questioning as to who won this fight," Robin steps forward, a hand settling on his wife's back.

"Yeah, she got me," Eric recognizes, wincing as he takes a step forward, then massaging his shoulder and neck. "I wasn't expecting her to crush my foot."

Regina pats his arm affectionately, giving him a sympathetic look, frowning as he limps slightly.

"You were so focused on being anchored to the ground you forgot to keep moving. You stayed at the same place for too long, I had at least ten seconds to memorize where your feet where."

"Believe me, I will remember this one."

"Are you alright?" Regina asks with concern, because he looks more sore than usual, but Eric shakes his head, attempting a small smile.

"Yeah yeah, don't worry! It will pass in a moment. But I'm done for the day."

"Do you want me to go find you a walking stick?" Little John teases, taking a step forward to support his friend. Eric pokes him in the shoulder, glaring, but a smirk breaks through his serious face.

"I'm not an invalid, thank you very much. But I could use some of that beer your wife bought the other day. You know?" he winks at Regina, who chuckles softly, before continuing, "to help with the pain."

The two men walk away, one limping, the other mocking him, and Regina eyes them warmly, caring, almost startled when Robin winds an arm around her waist, bringing her close. She tilts her head up and smiles, leans against his chest, and snuggles in his embrace.

"Did I put too much strength in it?" she questions, catching the sight of Eric sitting at a table, his face wearing traces of pain despite his attempt to hide it.

"I wouldn't say ' _too much_ '," Robin concedes, squeezing her against him as they start to walk to join their friends.

"But?"

He sighs against her hair, halts their walk and turns her towards him, brow knitting, confusing her.

" _But_ ," he starts slowly, "it was harder than usual. You were focused, found the weakness in his attacks, but it was different."

"Different how?"

"Usually, you control your blows when we are practicing. This time though..." he frowns deeply, rakes his fingers through his hair, searching for the right words it seems, and Regina brings a hand to his face, makes him look at her.

"Tell me, Robin! I won't get mad."

"This time, it was as if you wanted to hurt him." She takes a step back as her eyes open wide in surprise, her face pained, so he hurries. "I don't say you actually  _wanted_  to. Just that it felt like a real fight more than just training. From what I saw, you didn't hold back as much as you usually do."

"Oh..."

She starts to realize the truth in his words, starts to understand Eric's startled look as he was on the floor and her fist was ready to punch him, Little John's frown, Dean and Colin's furrowed brows as they stopped their own training to watch them.

But Robin's hands cover her shoulders, slide to each side of her neck, forcing her to look up at him.

"Hey! It's okay, Regina. Eric knows you didn't really mean to hit him that hard. We all do. And these last weeks have been stressful ones."

"Maybe, but I should go apologize."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that."

xxx

Regina is sitting between Eric and Robin, facing Little John and Dean when Alan and Arthur pass the entrance of the camp. They pay it no mind, keep drinking their beer, laughing genuinely at Little John's last anecdote, Regina's hand instinctively reaching for Eric's shoulder when she notices the way he holds his ribs, easing his laugh, breathing shallowly.

She apologizes again, but he dismisses it with a wave of his hand and a smile, refocuses on the conversation, until they're interrupted by two flyers landing on the table.

"We have a problem," Alan states, and it doesn't take long for his friends to understand his point.

"Damnit!"

"Where did you find this?"

Regina grabs the warrants without a word, takes a good look at them, glancing at her husband who's as dumbfounded as she is. Or rather, as scared as she is.

She feels it all coming back at her, this sense of déja-vu, holding two papers in her hands, one with her face, the other with the one of the man she loves.

"She did it again," she breathes, unable to look away.

The hunt is on, and she's the prey. Her, and Robin. Not that her husband has never been before, his face has been constantly hanged onto the trees and walls of this Kingdom. But these warrants are new.

They're wanted, but for crimes against both King Georges and Queen Cora. For treason, robbery, and treachery. Which means they'll be sentenced to immediate death without a trial if they get caught. Not that they expected any less from the two ruthless rulers. But the royals names associated on the paper and the warrants' presence in this land only means one thing : Cora got the King to help her.

And that's exactly what Arthur is telling them.

"We had confirmation by the people of Pepplewick. They saw Cora leave Nottingham and climb in Georges' carriage. It didn't take long for the Sheriff to start plastering those in town. And soon, it will be all over the kingdom."

Regina lets the papers fall on the table, sighing, taking her head in her hands. "This is a nightmare."

Robin's hand is on her shoulder, and she starts to lean back against him, eyes still closed.

"That's not all."

Her head snaps up, resigned, ready to take the next blow.

"Someone else stepped out of the Sheriff's station."

Alan pauses, looking warily at his friends, lingering on Regina, but mostly Robin. Little John's voice comes loud, impatient.

"Come on, Alan! Spill it out!"

The man takes a deep breath before revealing "Marian was there. Apparently, she and the Sheriff got married last month."

Regina stiffens and straightens her spine, pulls away from Robin, surprising him, earning a hurtful look that she doesn't notice as she avoids his gaze and stubbornly stares at the wooden table on top of which the warrants still lie. She can't help but glance at them, at her face and Robin's side by side, outlaws, criminals.

The most wanted criminals in both kingdoms, with a reward for their heads beyond anything they've seen before.

She knew that day would come. She knew her mother's alliance with Georges was only a matter of time, but she thought they'd have more time. Would it have changed something? Probably not. But expected or not, this news is a bomb which just exploded on their faces.

As for Marian... It's not that much her wedding with the Sheriff that bothers her, but more like who the woman has become, all that because she got her heart broken. Love is a powerful weapon. It can make you do the unthinkable, cross lines you never imagined you'd cross. It can make you reach the moon, or betray the very nature of who you are. Regina thinks of that sweet girl she heard about and met once, kind and shy, and wonders how she ended up marrying a man as cruel and arrogant as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The answer is evident : Regina.

Regina happened. Regina pushed Robin into the young woman's arms, and then ripped him away from her. So really, she shouldn't blame Marian. After all, she almost destroyed herself over a lost love. Three times, actually, if you count her baby. Alright, her actions mostly had for consequences to hurt herself and not others, but every person deals with grief and heartbreak differently. Who knows? Under different circumstances, maybe Regina would have been like Marian. Doing everything in her power to go after the responsible for her misery. Maybe, if she hadn't ran away, if she had stayed and married the King, she might have ended up hating Snow White and Leopold so much she would have done everything in her power to get rid of them.

The silence around the table is thick, uncomfortable, people staring at her with anguish, not knowing how she will react, expecting an explosion and a cold-blood answer at the same time.

But she doesn't have any answer to give. She's too stunned to even begin to freak out. Instead, she silently gets up from the bench, this time catching her friends and husband's puzzled looks as she steps away without a word. As expected, it takes him less than five seconds to follow, but even as rigid as she is, she's not mad at Robin. She stops him with a soft hand on his chest as he's calling her name, and raises two dark and dull eyes at him, her voice perfectly calm.

"I need a moment, Robin." Before he even protests, she steps closer, the hand on his chest reaching for his cheek. "I'm alright, I promise. I just need some time alone to digest this news."

"Are you certain?"

"I'm positive," she assures, and then she props on her toes and pecks his lips lightly, falling down on her heels before he even realizes it. "I'll see you later."

Regina doesn't even wait for his answer before turning her back on him and exiting the camp.

* * *

_Present_

" _I walked into the forest for a while after that, visited the graves again before going further into the woods. I know it wasn't safe, given the circumstances, but I needed a break. To think and be alone for a moment. Between Robin, my friends, and my father, there was always someone trying to comfort me, and at some point I was just tired of the reassurance. I was missing the action, the time when everything was perfectly fine and I could wander in the camp without feeling the sad, concerned and compassionate looks upon me. I needed privacy, time for myself, to think in peace without being disturbed._ _"_

_She leans back, her hand slowly moving over her curved stomach, absentmindedly searching for the little kicks that reassure her about her child's well being. She needs it like oxygen, even though it's over, there's no more threats, this baby is safe now. But she knows the fear will never fade. She lost so much already, and this pregnancy is bringing so much hope and promises. She won't feel completely reassured until she holds her child in her arms, safe and sound._

" _When I came back to the camp, I was determined to strike back. I refused to hide, that much I had already told Robin. But even this new threat didn't stop me. On the contrary, it increased my resolve. I know I scared him a bit -alright,_ a lot _, and our friends as well, but I didn't want my mother to have the final word. I didn't want her to be on the throne without resistance. So I gathered the Merry Men, told them what I wanted to do, that none of them were forced to follow, I'd never hold any grudges against them if they stayed behind._

_But they all supported me. In fact, they even brought some ideas and enthusiasm to the plan. Because it wasn't just about standing up to Cora, but also standing up to Georges, and oh how much did we want to see the man down!_

_Our contacts were in alert, aware that we were waiting for a big heist, that the Merry Men were back to work. It took a few weeks, but we finally got the opportunity we were waiting for. We were more careful than ever, but we were all so thrilled about it we could barely wait to be there. Although I have to admit, and I know I wasn't the only one, that at this time of our lives, I had never been that much afraid while planning and waiting for a robbery than this very day._ _"_

* * *

A month later

Regina slows her breath and closes her eyes, her head ducking forward while she focuses.

She can't feel anxious. Not now. She's not in the same team as Robin, and it was made on purpose, so they wouldn't focus on each other but on their mission. Except not knowing how things are going for him is almost unbearable.

"Are you alright?"

A hand is on her back, warm and comforting, and she opens her eyes to look up at Little John, attempting a reassuring smile, but judging by his frown he doesn't seem convinced.

"I'm just worried about him." Regina shrugs.

"I know. But he'll be fine."

"Perhaps, but it's the first time I'm not with him. It's the first time we split like this to attack several carriages at the same time."

"This plan will work, Regina." Colin whispers, moving closer, but his eyes flicker to the road regularly. "It's one of the best we've ever come up with."

"But my mother-"

"Is at her castle, getting everything ready for the party she's throwing." Little John reminds. "Come on! We need you with us if we want to succeed!"

Regina looks back and forth between her two friends, glances at Dean on the other side of the road, or more exactly where she knows he's hidden. Colin is right. This plan is really good. It will fulfill all their wishes.

Steal money for them and the inhabitants.

Piss King Georges off.

Embarrass Cora and make her feel like a fool.

And, spread a message among the fortunate ones.

It's risky, they have no idea how the King and new Queen will respond to the provocation. But it's not just about them. The Merry Men need the win, Regina and Robin more than everyone else. But the people... The people are tired of being oppressed. Cora's reign is new, but she already proved she was more of a tyrant than a fair ruler. Aside from the way she got onto the throne, she increased the taxes, and has built an army of ruthless and cruel soldiers. She called them the Black Knights. There is no limit to what they're allowed to do, especially as their number is increasing every day. They already attacked several villages for no other reason than spreading fear and terrorize the people. So the villagers could use a little victory too.

Today, Cora is organizing a party at what's now her castle, and she invited the highest dignitaries of the different kingdoms, both to assess her power and create new alliances.

But their only targets tonight, are those coming from King Georges' lands. His most loyal advisers, most trusted friends. Most careless souls. Eight carriages, each taking a different road. Eight teams, one on each road. The order is to take everything.

To rob.

To steal.

To make a statement.

To tell everyone that the people may not be safe, but the royals are not either. To mock the new Queen and the long time King. To warn them that the Merry Men are still alive and ready for a war.

Regina's senses are suddenly acute and sharp. She looks up at the road, and there they are. Her hand reaches for her bow, fingers closing around the wooden structure, tingling and ready. Oh, she's going to enjoy this immensely!

First, their usual trick. An arrow landing in front of the horses to stop them so abruptly everyone from the carriage is startled.

Second, circling the carriage, weapons ready, hoods hiding their faces.

Third, announce their presence with a loud voice, and opening the door.

Fourth, having everyone stepping outside and forcing the coachman down.

Fifth, disarming-

Regina freezes. She freezes, and her friends noticed, and they're unsettled, almost startled, their bodies suddenly stiff and alert, even though they don't know what triggered her reaction.

_She_ 's there.

She's standing in front of her, oblivious of her presence, frightened, but her head high, eyes hard. The thin features of her face have changed for more twisted ones, as if a grimace had settled there, and Regina wonders if it is what hate and revenge look like when plastered on the face of someone who was pure and innocent to begin with.

Regina feels a sudden and strange feeling growing inside her, spreading from her chest to her hands and feet, as if pins and needles were running along her whole being. It prickles, itches, her body, her mind, begging for release, the feeling threatening to escape, pushing at her hands and urging her to let go.

But she doesn't.

Regina fights it, the odd sensation, the slight dizziness, almost discomfort, the amount of anger invading her as every emotion she held back for months come back suddenly. She tightens her grip on her weapon, inhales slowly, deeply, blinks a couple of times. She stays alert, but empties her heart of all the hatred she feels towards the woman standing before her and ignoring her presence, focusing on nothing but what she has to do.

Before any of their hostages can come back from their surprise at being attacked, Colin and Dean step forward, remove the swords off of the two royal men's waists, check the two women for any kind of weapon, but there is none. They start ransacking the carriage, taking the gifts meant for the Queen, the money, the jewelry around the women's necks and wrists and hidden in their dresses, while Regina and John keep threatening them with their bows.

They put inside the carriage some baskets of rotten fruits destined for the Queen, and then turn towards Regina, waiting for her signal to leave.

But she doesn't give the signal.

Instead, she lowers her bow, and removes her hood, challengingly looking at  _her_  square in the eyes, while the other woman stares intently, throwing dagger with her eyes, but Regina didn't expect any less.

"What are you doing?" John exclaims lowly, and she knows her friends are starting to panic right now, but they will understand soon.

She knows she recognized her. They all did, the five hostages. Her portrait is plastered everywhere, she's no longer a face among the others. And the tension between the two women as Regina closes the distance separating them is heavy with hard feelings.

"Hello, Marian."

"Regina. I didn't expect to see you again."

"Wait!  _Regina_? The woman Robin left my daughter for?" A voice comes loud and bold.

Marian's father, Regina remembers. A man who had seemed to be kind and honest in the beginning, but looks at her with incredulity and resentment now.

"The very one." Regina states flatly. "Although I heard your daughter found someone else's arms as a consolation. Speaking of your dear husband," she turns towards her old acquaintance again, adding with a knowing tone full of implications. "Where is he? It's not very kind of him to let you wander around in the forest without protection. These are dangerous woods. You wouldn't know what could be waiting for you at any given turn."

"I'm sure he'll be sorry to have missed you."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that!" Regina chuckles humorlessly.

"Where is Robin? Is he hiding behind one of these hoods like a coward? I thought he would have the courage to face me."

Regina bites her tongue. She can't lose her temper, not in front of that woman. Not now.

"He's not here. But you'll find out soon enough why, don't worry."

Marian eyes her curiously, suspicious, glancing at the other men whose faces are still hidden from her, then behind Regina, scrutinizing the area, but apparently finding nothing, because she looks back at her.

"So what do you want? You took our money, our jewels, the gifts for your mother. You showed me your face instead of simply disappearing. Why?"

Regina's eyes darken, her features harden, and she can feel that her friends are on the edge, confused, ignoring what is going through her mind, the reason she changed their plan, but there was no way she would let Marian go without her knowing.

"I want you to understand what you did."

"What  _I_  did?" Marian says, incredulity written all over her face before she arches an eyebrow, resuming with a pointed look. " _You_  stole the man _I_ was about to marry!"

"And you sold me out to my mother. Do you have any idea of what happened when she found us?"

Leaning back, her voice dropping to a normal tone, Marian answers matter of factly. Coldly. "I heard, yes."

"And you're still working with her nonetheless. What kind of woman are you to disregard the life of an innocent baby?"

"It should have been  _my_  baby!"

The hand flying in the air is stopped only an inch from Regina's cheek, the woman grabbing Marian's wrist tightly, firmly, pulling it down but not releasing it.

"I wanted to create a family with Robin!"

"And I wanted a loving mother," Regina replies with a roll of her eyes. "I guess we'll have to deal with what we have"

"You have no idea how I felt when he told me he was choosing you."

Regina sighs. If only Marian knew. If only she had just the smallest idea of what she herself endured when she witnessed Robin proposing to her. But that time is behind her now. More recent events are still fresh in her mind, and as agonizing as watching Robin with another woman had been, the pain was nothing compared to what happened next.

"You don't understand, do you?" In front of the woman's silence, she explains, calm, resigned, bracing herself because just the thought of what she's about to say is excruciating. "You may have lost the man you loved, but I lost a child because of your actions. I  _felt_  my unborn baby being killed inside of me. I witnessed Robin being almost choked to death. All of this by the hand of the very woman who gave me life. The one you'll bow down to tonight."

Regina ignores the shocked and incredulous looks of Marian's father and the three other persons next to them. She ignores their gasps, closed eyes, the horror of Cora's actions written on their faces. The way Robert is looking at his daughter in disbelief.

But this is between Marian and herself.

"You know nothing, Marian. The loss you felt when Robin left you was nothing compared to what my mother did to me." She swallows dryly, shakes her head and then locks their gazes. "They say a mother's wrath is the worst thing on earth. I figured you understood how far we are willing to go for our children, after you spilled everything you knew about my existence to my dear mother, so she could have the revenge you probably felt was yours."

"Is this what this is about? Revenge?"

Regina releases the woman's wrist when she feels the tingle come back to her fingers, stepping back to put some comfortable distance between Marian and herself.

"No." She inhales sharply, fighting her inner feelings. "As much as I want to knock your pretty face against a tree right now, I won't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not like you." She pauses, hesitates, but takes a step forward again. "I will never forgive you for what you did. Trust me, nothing is worse than the loss of a child. Not even the one of a lover."

"How would you know? Robin is alive! He's by your side everyday."

Regina chuckles dryly.

"You don't know the whole story, Marian. What is going on between my mother and I started long before I fell in love with Robin. My baby is not the first life she took from me. But this is not my point." She takes another step, stops only inches from Marian's face. "My point is that, unlike you, I refuse to let the darkness lead my life. I refuse to let the anger, the hatred and the resentment motivate my actions. All I ever wanted was a simple life with the man I love."

"So did I. But you took it from me."

"Perhaps. But it doesn't justify what you did, and the fact that you keep helping her." Regina relaxes her features into a compassionate mask, ducking her head to the side. "You know Marian, I feel sorry for you."

"Do you really?"

"If you had a family of your own, if you focused on your love for them instead of your hate for me, you would know you shouldn't do what you're doing."

"Meaning?"

"Stop living in the past. He may not be the man you wanted, but you have a husband. You have a father," she waves her hand in the man's direction. "From what I heard, you were a good person. Remember that. Build your future instead of destroying everyone else's."

Regina takes another step back, and nods at her friends. They tie up the hostages, force the four people to climb back into the carriage, lock the door from the outside, as planned, so they won't be able to get out before they reach their destination. Dean and Colin settle the restrained coachman on his spot, reins in his hands, and send them on their way, before retreating into the forest.

It takes Regina a full minute to come back to her own self. Suddenly, the weight on her shoulders is too heavy, every word she held back crushing her, the anger she didn't let out assaulting her mind, and she breathes out deeply, leaning against a tree and sliding at its base, sitting on the ground, burying her face in her hands, trying to put some order into her overwhelming feelings.

"So that was Marian."

It's a statement, and Regina just nods, her eyes still closed, answering Colin in a breathless voice, as if this confrontation had been a duel.

"Yeah. She's so different from the girl I remember. So full of..."

"Hate." Little John finishes for her, and she hums in agreement. "Are you going to be okay?" he asks warily. She cracks her eyes open, tilts her head up and gives him a tired smile.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting to see her, that's all." She takes the hand he holds out to her, getting up on her feet. "But I'm fine." In front of his stern look, she adds, this time chuckling honestly as she squeezes his shoulder warmly "Really! I just need to see Robin, make sure that he's safe."

"Better go back to the camp then!" Dean announces, throwing a bag of gold over his shoulder. "We have some good money here, I can't wait to know how much the others gathered."

xxx

When they arrive at the camp, almost everyone is back.

Regina meets her father with a wide smile, easing his fears with a warm hug, and then turning to her friends. She listens to the tale of their robberies with a distracted ear, searching for a face she doesn't see in the crowd of husbands and wives, feeling anguish grow in her stomach. Maybe he's not back yet.

She tries to reassure herself with this mantra, tries to slow her erratic heartbeat, but there's no point. She notices Rowan and Anton in the background, talking with Alan, and her heart stops.

They were in Robin's team. And Robin is nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, Eric isn't here either, and they were together.

She abandons Arthur in the middle of his sentence, running to them, a hand on Rowan's arm, her voice urgent.

"Where is Robin? Is he alright? Why isn't he here?"

The man stops her by raising his hand, taking hers between his own when she's silent, his voice gentle.

"Relax, Regina. He's fine. We just had a little incident, but he's-"

"What incident? What happened?" she cuts.

Rowan lets out a deep breath, glancing at Anton. "A man from the carriage tried to play hero. He attacked us with his knife before we could take it. He hit Robin. Amelia is treating the-"

She doesn't hear the last words. She's already running towards the healing cabin, almost stumbles on a rock on her way there, but she doesn't stop. She pushes the door with so much force it crashes against the wall, and there he is. Shirtless, sitting on the table, talking with Eric, Amelia applying a bandage around his arm, little Connor running around them, playing with something that looks like a pinecone. They all look up at her with startled eyes, stopping their actions.

"Gina!"

She feels more rather than sees the boy crashing against her legs, and her hand runs through his hair by instinct, but her eyes are on her husband. Robin is looking at her with confusion, before realizing what must have come to her mind for her to arrive here breathless and panicked. When he does, he ducks his head to the side sympathetically. The moment Connor releases his grip on her, she rushes into Robin's arms, hugging him so tight he groans lightly.

"It's nothing, Regina. Just a scratch."

But her only answer is to bury her face in his neck even more. His free arm rubs her back tenderly, and she slowly melts under his touch, relaxing, releasing her grip on him. She presses a soft kiss in the crook of his neck, feeling him shudder and tightening his hold for a second, before pulling back to face him, one hand lifting to cup his cheek.

For a moment, she just looks at him. She just looks at him because she can, he's hers. Her sudden insecurity has nothing to do with what happened today. It's not because she saw Marian. It's not because the other woman's life is painted with heartbreak and revenge. It's not because Regina is the reason why.

Or let's be honest! It is.

It's exactly the reason why she feels the need to kiss him right now, in front of Amelia, Eric and Connor, making her husband gasp with the surprise of her unexpected gesture. He kisses her back, but she knows he noticed something is wrong, because he brings a hand to her chin and pulls back slowly, urging her to open her eyes.

"Regina, what is it?" he whispers in the space between them.

"Nothing!" she says hurriedly.

She receives a pointed and unconvinced look, but she shakes her head. She doesn't want to talk about it, not now, not in front of their friends, least of all Connor. So she presses her lips to his one more time, but this time it's just a quick peck on the lips, meant more to reassure him than her.

"I just needed to make sure you were alright." And then, because she knows he won't let her get away with this excuse, she turns to Amelia "How did it look like?"

Her friend has stepped away, knelt in front of her son, quietly keeping him busy, but she looks up at Regina's question, gets up on her feet, walking to them.

"It wasn't exactly superficial, so I had to close the wound, but it shouldn't leave a large scar."

Regina acknowledges the answer with a nod, noticing Eric standing near the entrance, still silent.

"And you?' she asks, getting his attention. "Are you injured?"

He steps forward, hands held in front of him, shaking his head "Oh no! I was just keeping Robin company."

"So everyone else is fine? They succeeded? Every team?"

"They did. Your mother and Georges will have a huge surprise tonight."

"Good."

Regina is turned towards her friends, so she can't see Robin, but she figures he must have mouthed something, because both Amelia and Eric start heading towards the exit, the blonde woman hoisting her son on her hip. They excuse themselves, and a second later, she's alone with her husband. Not that she minds it so much, but she knows what he's about to say, and she hoped she wouldn't have to do it so soon.

"Now are you going to tell me what's really on your mind?"

A smile breaks through her concerned face, because she knew he would say that, and he reads her so well, sometimes she thinks this connection between them goes deeper than a strong and endless love.

"I will," she promises. "But not now." She pulls on his hand, helping him climb off the table, smirking. "We have to celebrate our victory first."

She brings him closer, moves on her toes to kiss him again. His hand reaches for her cheek, pushing some strands of hair away from her face. She moans into the kiss as it turns needy, tongues dancing in hot ballet, and her hands are wandering on his bare chest and back, their hips grinding against each other and God, she didn't mean to make out with him just right here and now but if they don't stop quickly that's exactly where this is going.

Or maybe not.

Because Robin breaks the kiss, his breath short and quick, his eyes dark, but she can see the scowl on his mouth.

"Regina-"

"Later," she cuts him, gathering his face between her hands, kissing him one last time. "It can wait. I think we all need to relax and have some fun first." She steps back from his embrace, and tugs at his hand, urging him towards the exit. "Come on! We need to get everything ready for the celebration."

xxx

He flops on his back next to her with a sated moan, one of his hands immediately reaching for her, sliding along her sweaty belly, grabbing her at the waist, tugging her close. He nuzzles her hair, presses a kiss behind her ear, his breath still labored.

Regina turns her head, seeking his mouth, and Robin meets her easily, helping her on her side as she rolls on the bed, pressing her front to his, winding an arm around his neck, her thigh sliding on top of his, leg hooking behind his knee. They kiss lazily, hands wandering, bodies adjusting, limbs tangling, for a little while. Until Regina pushes at his shoulder, helping him on his back again, reaching for the covers before settling atop him. She eyes him softly, the small flame of the lamp behind her projecting shadows over his beautiful face, her fingers trailing lovingly in his hair, smiling, thoughtful.

"I hate to have to break the moment, but I do have to talk to you about what happened today," she confesses in a low voice, almost a whisper.

The smooth features of Robin's handsome face turn into a concerned frown, and she hates herself for a second. She hates herself, because she's going to ruin that perfect intimacy between them, because he was so relaxed, and she knows he won't be after this conversation.

"There was someone else other than the Duke Merrington and his wife in the carriage I attacked."

"Judging by your tone I'd say you knew that person."

"Yes. And you do too." Robin is confused, and she glances down at his chest, at her fingers tracing a lazy path across his pecks, playing with the few hairs there, taking a deep breath before confessing. "The Fitzwalters."

He sits on the bed so abruptly she's startled and falls back, catching herself with her hands at the last second.

"Marian?"

"And her father, yes."

"The Sheriff?"

She can feel the sudden fear piercing in his voice, the mix of guilt and resentment. She can't blame him.

"He wasn't there."

"Did she see you?"

Regina swallows before answering. She knows he will be mad at her. She knows he will reproach her for having removed her cloak and for exposing herself that way, but she had no choice. There never was closure between the two women, not another meeting aside from Marian's first date with Robin. The way they made the other suffer, voluntarily or not... She had to have that talk. She  _needed_  it, as painful as it'd been.

"I... I pulled back my hood."

His eyes are wide with incredulity, stupefaction piercing in his voice as he exclaims, " _You what?_ Regina, why? Why did you do that? It was dangerous!"

" _I know!_ " she says forcefully. Robin is tensed in front of her, his muscles strained with indignation, his face torn with offense and incomprehension, so she moves away, stands from the bed, pacing. "I just couldn't let her go without knowing..."

"Without knowing what?"

She huffs in annoyance, rolling her eyes and turning to face him. "Without knowing how _I_ felt! God, Robin! You two had I don't know how many conversations after you broke up with her. I never had  _one_! She's convinced that I stole you from her, which, let's be honest, I never did. I never imagined you would leave her for someone like me, especially after the way I treated you." She hugs herself, looking away and shivering, because she's naked, standing in her tent in the middle of a cold winter night, and anyway just this conversation is giving her chills. "She blames me more than you," Regina explains in a softer voice. "And she may have married the Sheriff, but she's not over you."

"Regina-"

"She doesn't even feel remorse about our baby," she cuts him, and her voice is broken now, because how couldn't she? How could Marian see nothing wrong in taking a baby's life? "She said it should have been hers, that I have everything while she has nothing." She stops walking, bringing a hand to her forehead, blinking back tears. "You should've seen her, Robin. This was not the woman I met. And I'm fairly certain she wasn't the one you almost married."

"People change, Regina."

"I know that. It's just... I feel like... I wanted to  _hurt_  her, Robin. I wanted to make her pay for what she did, for what her confession to my mother led to. For her lack of guilt."

She can feel the anguish in his voice when he asks, careful, unsure, "Did you?"

And for a second she hates that he thinks she'd be able to go that far.

She gives him a sharp look.

"No."

"Because you felt guilty," he guesses, but that's not it.

"No. I know she would've stabbed me without hesitation if she'd had the chance. And I don't want to be like her. I don't want to be full of hate. Fighting my mother doesn't necessarily mean playing by her rules, and the game is unbalanced because of that, but I refuse to betray who I am to beat them. So I let her go," she concludes, shrugging.

She's cold now, not freezing but almost, obviously shivering despite the tension in the conversation. Robin gets up from the bed, takes a hesitant step to join her, unsure of how she will welcome him after all this. She doesn't move first, but the chilly temperature and her doubts and uncertainty get the best of her. She snuggles in his arms, and it's warm, full of tenderness and love, has goosebumps flaring up on her skin for an entire other reason than the cold air.

"You have no idea how proud of you I am," Robin murmurs in her hair, weaving his hand in it.

Regina doesn't answer, because she doesn't know what to say. Instead, she cuddles closer, burying her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry I ruined the evening," she mutters after a moment, but he shushes her.

"Don't! You were right to tell me."

She lifts tired and tearful eyes at him, pleading, "Let's just go to bed."

She doesn't even bother with her night gown, and he doesn't either. They need to feel each other right now. They need the physical contact. So she lies down, and he takes place behind her, his front to her back, one arm pillowed under her head, the other wrapped around her waist, his nose in her hair. She links their fingers on her belly, and closes her eyes.

* * *

_Present_

" _Robin and I never talked about my meeting with Marian again after that night._

_The news about what we'd done with the carriages' attacks reached us quickly. As expected, both my mother and Georges were furious. They sent troops in search for us, increased the amount of money for our heads, but the people were on our side. No one betrayed us. For a time, we were careful, especially Robin and me, even though that victory had settled a lightness of mind within the camp._

_But the search for us stopped when they quickly realized that after years of us slipping through Georges' fingers, simply looking for us wouldn't lead anywhere. And we almost forgot._ I _almost forgot that my mother was never quiet without a reason. That the search party had given up too easily. But the reality of the world struck us in the face, when one day, in the middle of the afternoon, someone knocked at the camp's door. Someone we didn't expect to see again so soon._ _"_

* * *

Three weeks later

"You're making a lot of progress, Matthew," she admits proudly, a hand on his shoulder, as the boy's arrow digs into the target one last time, his shot still far from the center, but at least now he's hitting the strayed sign every time.

"I've been practicing a lot," he admits.

"So I see. And it shows."

He almost blushes at the compliment, his voice shy but honest when he tells her,"I also have a very good teacher."

Regina chuckles, pats his back affectionately. "Enough for today. You need to take a break, I don't want you to exhaust yourself."

She lets him gather his arrows and put them back in the training quiver hanging on a tree, and leave. As Regina watches him walk away, she catches the sight of a man she didn't notice before, and smiles kindly at him.

"Hey, daddy!" She closes the distance between them, stopping in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

Henry's eyes are shining with love and pride, his smile soft and caring, and she feels like a little girl again, wants to climb on his lap while he reads her stories, wants to fall asleep while cuddling in his arms. She wants to be that sweet, innocent child she once was, when her father is giving her that warm and fatherly look so full of wonderful memories.

"I'm just watching my beautiful daughter at work. You're doing a very good job with this young man," he comments, his hand directed towards where Matthew disappeared a minute before.

"I'm trying." Regina shrugs. "It's hard to make him see and believe in his potential, but we're slowly getting there." She starts leading her father to the well, her arms wrapped around one of his loosely. "What did you do this morning? I haven't seen you around."

"I was helping the women teach reading and spelling to the kids."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. I'm glad you found something to do here. I know how difficult it can be to live in the forest when you're used to the comfort we had."

"Yes, it is. But I prefer the life at the camp actually." In front of his daughter's raised eyebrows, Henry explains. "At home I wasn't doing much more than signing papers and establishing contracts about our lands. While here, I feel more useful. The way those kids' faces light up when they succeed in writing their name for the first time... It's amazing, Regina!" The woman chuckles warmly at the genuine expression of awe on her father's face. But his tone changes almost immediately when he adds "Some of them are almost seventeen and they never had held a pen in their whole life."

"Most of them also spent their lives alone in the streets." She reminds him.

"I never imagined there was so much misery out there," Henry confesses. "I mean, I knew where your mother came from when I married her, and I was aware that poverty existed but... I never got the opportunity to see it for myself."

"We have a lot of them here," Regina explains, stopping by the well and looking around. "Matthew spent months starving and stealing before Amelia and I found him. Dean is now a Merry Men, but before we took him in he was an orphan struggling to survive in the streets. Jonas," she points at a ten year-old boy of darker complexion, "escaped a slave-trader. Little John and Alan crossed paths with him when the man got a hold of him again and was beating him to death for his impudence. And Jenna, the girl talking to him, had been abused by her father so many times it took us months to get through her defenses. At first she was so wild she even refused to speak. We only learned her story many months later." Regina recalls with a voice heavy with thoughts.

"How did you manage to bring her here?"

"Colin and his wife, Vanda, were coming back from a village when they found her on the side of the road, passed out, almost two years ago. Judging by the state she was in, it was obvious no one was taking care of her, and anyway, they couldn't even imagine leaving her there. So they brought her to the camp. And maybe she saw something in them, in us, I don't know, she never said, but despite her evident fear, she never left. We gave her the chance to go if she wanted to, but she never took it. Now she lives with them in their cabin, helps Vanda take care of her newborn baby. They treat her as their daughter, and I honestly never saw a brighter smile on her face than the day she finally decided to call them mom and dad."

Regina drinks several gulps of the water she pulled out from the well and into a large wooden cup while speaking, then offers some to her father, but the man shakes his head. Instead he brings a hand to her face, stroking her cheek, wrinkles deepening at the corner of his eyes as his smile widens slightly. She leans into his palm, closing her eyes for half a second before looking at him again.

"I'm so proud of you, my sweet little girl. Of who you've become, what you're doing every day. You help people in need, lost children. And you've grown so much. You're no longer the child who ran away from the King's castle."

She drops her head at the memory, but he tilts her chin up so she meets his gaze again.

"You're such a good person, Regina. Despite everything, despite what your mother did to you, do not ever doubt this!"

"Daddy-" she starts, but he cuts her.

"You never lived in the street during your childhood, but you've been one of those children. Your mother... The way she treated you, ever since you were a baby... I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you when I had the chance. Maybe I could have stopped her from-"

"No, don't blame yourself! She proved more than once that no one and nothing can stand between her and what she wants." Regina sighs in disappointment.

"But what she did to you, to your baby..." Henry's voice breaks at the last word, and Regina turns her head away, avoiding his compassion, swallowing tears that threaten to fall, because the event is still vivid in her mind, the memory still fresh, the wound still open. "I hope she'll pay for all the evil she's done."

Regina faces him again, trying to look confident but she knows at the sound of her voice and tickling in her eyes that her father sees right through her vain attempt.

"She will, daddy. We're fighting her. And at some point, we will find a way to send her away, to be safe from her."

The heaviness of their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a loud voice, and they both jump, startled. Regina turns her head to look at Dean, standing guard above the entrance of the camp and shouting words she can't quite make out from afar. She leaves her father there, walks fast to join Little John and Robin, who are almost at the gate.

"Open the door! Open it, it's Tuck! He's back!" Dean keeps yelling, and Regina watches the men turn the wheel to lift the door from the ground.

Questions and happiness explode in a commotion as they wait for their friend to arrive. But Regina frowns, and meets Robin and John's similar expressions. Tuck was not supposed to come back so soon.

The moment he appears in their vision, her worries are confirmed, because he stands in front of them covered in blood, his clothes torn to shreds, his eyes tired and his body obviously weak and beaten. The joy that filled the hearts of men and women was quickly replaced by horror and shock, and they run to help their friend as he stumbles, exhausted, leaning on Alan's shoulder to stay up, John reaching out to help him.

"Don't close the gate, they are just behind me." He says as loudly as he can, breathless.

"Who?" Robin asks immediately.

"The other friars."

"The other friars? Tuck, what happened?"

"We were attacked. They surprised us in the middle of the night."

Regina steps beside her husband, looking over at the small number of priests -all injured, some more severely than others- and horses who finally joined them. The friars nod their agreement to close the door, and anxiety seizes her, her voice unsteady when she asks "Tuck, where are the others? You were at least three times more numerous than that when I was there."

He looks at her with wide and tired eyes, telling her without a word what she's already sure of, but he voices it for all the others.

"We're the only survivors. Everyone else at the monastery, is dead."


	14. The most resilient heart : Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a chapter heavy with tensions and angst... But it's a necessary one.

_Present_

_She reaches for her gourd, drinks heavily, her mouth dry from talking and the overwhelming emotions she's trying to contain._

_She remembers that time, when the list of people killed by order of her mother was getting longer every day. When they started to realize Cora was targeting people who had helped her in any way, was trying to hurt her daughter at the core, to destroy her using guilt and grief._

_She had questioned her plan to keep her mother alive more than once. She wondered if she shouldn't just figure a way to get rid of her, walk into this castle on her own one night, and slice her throat in her sleep. She even dreamt of doing it. But the thought itself made her sick, the dreams more frightening than soothing. She couldn't do that, she wasn't that person. She was full of anger, she was full of resentment, but she had too much to lose, too much to love. She knew for certain Robin wouldn't let her reach the castle before stepping in her way, dragging her back to the camp if necessary._

_So she just endured._

_Closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, closed her hands, bit her tongue, and waited for the feeling to pass. Because she was better than that._

" _Some priests were alright, but most of them were injured, either from falling off a horse or a sword blow. Almost all had their skin and clothes torn_ _by spines, bleeding feet and_ _empty_ _stomachs. We treated them the best we could, fed them, but for some wounds there was just nothing we could do. One of the friars had received a blow so severe to the head he collapsed shortly after reaching the camp. After being checked up, the prognosis was irrevocable. He wouldn't survive the night._ _"_

* * *

Nine and a half months earlier

The evening of Tuck's return

"Regina?"

The woman barely turns her head in answer, barely hums to acknowledge the call of her name, and Amelia's hand finds her shoulder, squeezes, crouching next to her friend who's sitting on a chair next to a makeshift bed.

"You should go to sleep, get some rest. The girls will take care of them for the night."

Regina doesn't look away from the body lying still in front of her, her attention focused on the slow raising of his chest, the labored breath that comes out of his lungs, and she knows he doesn't have much time, knows there is nothing else she can do for him, but she can't bring herself to leave that tent and let him die and the others suffer alone.

After the first wave of shock had passed, they led the injured men to the headquarters, getting the tent rid of every useless item and bringing beds to lay them on. They didn't have a place big enough to treat so many wounded men, but this tent was the largest, and it was close enough to the cabin that holds healing supplies.

As Amelia and the other women, with some of their husbands and young lost children's help, started to take care of the most severely injured friars, Tuck sat at the edge of one bed, and explained what had happened. Even now, hours later, Regina still can't erase the tale and what she's pictured in her mind.

xxx

Eighteen hours earlier

He sings the litany of prayers with a deep focus, hands joined, eyes closed, on his knees, next to his brothers, breathing deeply. He feels calm. He feels safe. He feels complete. He finally found that part of him he always felt was missing, without being able to put a name on it. Here, with these men, in these simple clothes, his hair shaved and his body purified, he found his path. He is almost halfway to his training, and although he misses his friends and his life at the camp, he enjoys every minute of his time here.

The schedules are strict and precise, no time being wasted. He's learning a lot, new languages, new prayers, new songs, but also healing, confessing, listening, advising. It's a continuation to what he's always wanted to do, who he's always wanted to be. Tuck hopes it will make him a better man.

The door swings open in a loud thud, the lock broken and the wooden structure hitting the stone wall with force, startling all the friars, making them turn around quickly to look at the intruder. Or intruders, it seems, because there are several men in there, men in armors, armed, holding torches and judging by the look on their faces they are not here to simply talk.

One of them steps between the soldiers, that smug grin on his face, and Tuck recognizes him immediately. The Sheriff of Nottingham. What is he doing here? He wonders, and prays to his new God that the man won't recognize him.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" The raspy voice of the sheriff resonates in the room.

The father superior gets up on his feet before everyone else, walks calmly to the man, hands held in front of him.

"You are in the house of the Lord, sir. It's not even dawn and you've interrupted us. May I at least know what this visit is about?"

Nottingham's gaze wanders past the man's shoulder, running amongst the faces in front of him, obviously looking for someone, but he seems not to find it, apparently, because he lowers his eyes to look at the old man.

"Yes! I was mandated by the Queen to come here. You see, a very reliable source told her you've hosted and healed a woman named Regina. As you must probably know, or maybe you don't, that woman is a bandit, wanted for treason, robbery and treachery, as well as her husband, the infamous Robin Hood. I'm sure you've heard of him. The Queen's source assured he's been here too. And you must know that helping bandits is considered treason, and punishable by  _death_."

"The people we come to help are our business only, and we do not care about their identity. Every soul is the same in the eyes of God. And the Queen has no power here," the father speaks in a strong voice.

"Maybe not, but I have this..." The sheriff reaches for a scroll in his belt, unrolls it for the man to read. "A letter from King Georges, the King of  _this_  land, that gives me free power to answer the Queen's wishes. And right now, what she wants, it's your head, and the ones of all your little men here, on a spike."

He doesn't give them time to react, and Tuck suppresses a gasp when he catches the sight of the Sheriff's hand grabbing a dagger and digging it into the old man's abdomen, smiling and laughing at the surprise and horror he can read on his victim's face, the friar's eyes and mouth wide open, a strangled and painful cry coming from his lips. The moment the sheriff removes the blade from his flesh, the body falls to the floor with a  _thud._

And that's when it begins.

The screams, the agitation, the soldiers moving forward and the priests reaching for the back doors, some trying to fight back but it's useless.

Tuck does not fight, there is no point, he has no weapon, and alone amongst a dozen soldiers, he wouldn't be very effective, would probably end up dead in no time. So he runs with his brothers, tells them what to do, and they listen, they know him, where he comes from. He asks them to head for the secret passage at the end of the east wing, to pass the door, and wait for him there, he will try to save as many as possible.

Looking around in the corridor, he grabs a candlestick, enters the first bedroom he finds, removes the mattress of the bed and breaks a strip of wood. It's not much, but if he can disarm one man with it, it should be enough.

Speaking of the soldiers... The door behind him bursts open, and a guard comes in, sword ready. Tuck gets in position, old reflexes coming back, his body remembering, his mind lighting up memories he had set aside for the time of his training. He roots his feet to the floor but gets prepared to move at any moment, keeps his eyes on the man, waits for the attack.

And it comes.

The soldier charges with his sword raised above his head, ready to strike, and Tuck uses the candlestick to block his blade, the sharp metal stopped only inches from his head. He feels a thick lick of sweat trailing down his spine as the adrenaline rushes into his body, his heart beating fast, his eyes wide, his senses acute.

He lost some strength while being here, but he still has a lot left, and it takes him a little effort but he pushes back, sends the man three steps back. The next attack is almost immediate, and Tuck jumps to the side, hits the man in the back with the batten, uses the moment his balance is shaken to project him against the wall, the metal of the candlestick creating a resonance when it collides with the iron of his helmet, the impact with the wall knocking him out for good.

Breathing heavily, Tuck thanks his new God that Nottingham was stupid enough to bring his own men instead of real, effective soldiers. He probably thought there would be no resistance, and that every stupid guy with a sword would be able to slaughter them all in the blink of an eye. They still can do a lot of damage, considering who their targets are, but at least Tuck has a chance to save a few of his friends.

Grabbing the sword on the floor and releasing his weapons of opportunity, he runs out the door, cursing his choice to have sent all those messages to Marian months ago. Because he knows for sure that she's the Queen's source. No one else knew where he was hiding with Regina, no one except the Merry Men, and he is dead certain that none of them would have betrayed the secret.

A scream to his right catches his attention, and he rushes forward, stops at the corner just in time to watch a soldier remove his blade from one of his brothers. Without a second thought, Tuck runs straight towards him, his sword piercing through the man's chest, letting out a dull cry of distress, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, gritting his teeth, pushing the corpse off of the sword and stepping back, stunned, dizzy, unaware of his surroundings for a second and it almost costs him his life.

He feels the sharp edge of the cold metal slice his skin like butter, and he reacts immediately to the blow, turning around, wincing as it digs further into his arm when he moves away from the weapon. It's a nasty cut, he knows, but luckily it's his left arm, and he's right-handed, and the soldier who dared to hit him from behind earns a direct blow from the hilt of the sword right in his forehead, his skull broken with the impact, his lifeless body landing on the floor a second later.

Looking around for a second, Tuck's vision is blurred.

Stress, adrenaline, fear, and grief combined.

He's surrounded with bodies. Dead bodies. The two guards he got down, and then only the friars.

Only innocents.

Half a dozen of them at least. All dead. Sold by a traitor who never let the man she loved go, and indirectly murdered by an insane woman who couldn't accept the happiness of her own daughter.

Blinking back tears, he heads straight for the rendezvous point, no return, no looking back, this is war and he's been caught right in the middle, and if he can save the life of his remaining brothers, he will.

On his way there, he walks on a soldier about to slaughter another friar, and he calls him loudly, catching the guard's attention, bringing him into battle, but his muscles remember now, and his mind is full of anger, his body strong with hate, blood boiling in his veins, and his opponent doesn't hold ten seconds, lands on the floor unceremoniously, irremediably dead.

He drags his friend to the east wing, which is just a little further, and sighs in relief when he finds the door unguarded. They are waiting for him on the other side, as planned, terrified, gasping at his aspect, because he's covered with blood, from his wounds and the men he has killed, but it doesn't matter, they need to leave.

They need to leave right  _now_!

They follow him without a protest for what seems like hours, but is truly only minutes, and when he reaches the door on the other side of the tunnel, he stops, waits, asks them to be silent. They do as he asks, so he listens, tries to make out a sound, a ruffling noise, a breathing, anything, but all he comes up with is the sound of the wind. He pushes the door slightly open dryly, and it squeaks. It's old, unused. Tuck catches his breath, closes his eyes for a second, but no one seems to be there. He opens it widely then, takes a look at his surroundings, and they are at the edge of the forest, they can disappear in it quickly if they move fast. But there is old men among the group, and injured ones, some of them badly, and they won't stand the several hours long road to the camp if they have to run. He checks for transportation, spots the soldiers' horses, left unguarded, and smiles, sending a small prayer in thanks. He leads the men to the forest in silence, hides them behind bushes, rocks and trees, before heading towards the steeds. He unties the first two, sends them in his friends' direction, takes another two, grabs the reins, and walks them into the forest. It's only eight of them now, so it should be enough to lead them as close as possible to the camp.

But their luck doesn't last.

A shout comes to his ears, the strong voice of a commander, and Nottingham is there, on the entrance of the monastery, yelling at his men that they are outside, they are escaping, they need to hurry. Instinctively, Tuck sends the two horses in his friends' direction, tells the friars to leave, he'll join them, they know where to go. He turns his back on them despite their protests, releasing all the horses but one, determined to finish this.

It's a bloodbath. He didn't kill much in his life, never believed taking someone's life was the answer, but there is no answer now. No good nor evil, only  _survival_ , and he takes them down one after the other. There isn't many of them, it was only a dozen guards, and the remaining are coming one after the other. He doesn't care if they live or not, ignores the tiredness in his muscles, the deep cuts they inflict when they manage to hit him.

When he turns around, he's alone.

Well, not exactly alone. All the soldiers are dead, but someone else is still alive. Someone who is eyeing him with eyes wide with fear and horror and disbelief, disgust too, maybe, and Tuck walks to him in large and quick steps. The sheriff falls on his knees in front of him, silently begging, but Tuck raises his sword nonetheless, the tip against the man's forehead, pressing, just enough to mark but not enough to kill, watches him brace himself for the fatal blow, but it doesn't happen.

Something stops Tuck from digging the blade into the sheriff's throat.

Something, or someone, he doesn't know, but there is a force pulling at his wrist, stopping him from moving forward, a voice in his head telling him it's not too late, he doesn't have to do that, it's not right.

It is right, Tuck thinks, because he deserves it. That man, that sheriff, has stolen, beaten, murdered and had so many people killed, that he deserves to die.

Here.

Right now.

By his hand.

But it's not right. It's not, because this isn't a life threatening situation, this isn't impulse, this isn't fear or adrenaline. This is vengeance. This is a cold blooded murder.

This is  _wrong_.

_I only drew my bow or sword when I was directly attacked._

What?

_I've never initiated the fight._

The words echoes in his mind all of a sudden, and he almost stumbles back with the surprise, manages to keep his balance at the last second.

_I've never killed except in extreme necessity._

And then,

_That's what_ you _taught me._

Tuck freezes, stops trying to hurt the man begging at his feet, doesn't recede, but doesn't move forward either.

_You bring her back to me. Safe._

_I promise._

_You do know I will never thank you enough for what you did, right?_

His mouth opens slightly as he almost gasps for air, vision blurred by tears and the realization of what he was about to do hitting him square in the chest.

" _Tuck, there is something I'd like to ask you._ _"_

_He watches Regina fidget with her fingers, biting her lower lip, and he smiles softly in return, a kind, reassuring smile._

" _Of course._ _"_

_She walks the few steps separating them, takes his hands in hers, squeezes, and breathes_ _"_ _My father isn't here, and you've done so much for me. So I thought... I mean, I can't picture anyone else than you actually. You're the best man I know, and it would mean a lot if you said yes._ _"_ _She takes a deep breath, and he knows what she's about to ask but he wants to hear it, wants to feel his heart swell with care and tenderness for this woman he loves like a younger sister._ _"_ _Would you mind walking me down the aisle?_ _"_

He steps back.

Without a warning, he just steps back, and lowers his sword.

Nottingham eyes him dubiously, dumbfounded, surprised.

For a moment, Tuck just stares at him in daze, shocked by what just happened.

But the surprise doesn't last long. Because the second he gets the chance, Nottingham reaches for a nearby dagger, and Tuck reacts quickly. Still haunted by the images he saw, he finds himself incapable of killing again. Instead, he uses the blade to disarm him, and with the hilt, knocks him out.

Once he's staring at the unconscious body in front of him, reality hits him.

_His brothers_.

Dropping the sword to the floor -not one of the soldiers he didn't kill will come after him after what he's done, of that he's sure, he turns on his heels, reaches for the horse still tied up, grabs the reins, and rides.

xxx

"No." Regina shakes her head, applying a cloth of fresh cold water on the man's forehead. "I need to be here." She adds, still not looking at her friend, and Amelia sighs deeply, because she knows deep down what is going on inside her friend's mind.

"Regina, be reasonable. There is nothing more that can be done for him, and the others are already being taken care of. You should get some rest."

The furious glance she receives in answer turns Amelia's blood into ice in an instant, the anger flashing in her friend's eyes being of an intensity she's rarely seen.

"I can be here, and not let him die alone." Regina bites, her voice low and accusing.

"Regina-" Amelia pleads, but there is no point.

"No, Amelia!" her friend cuts harshly. "They saved my life. They  _saved_  me. And now more than half of them are dead, and the ones left are..." She trails off, her voice weaker and more broken with every word, anger forgotten for guilt and grief. "This is my fault, and do not dare to tell me it isn't!" She warns, her tone stronger at the end, the sentence clearly not calling for an answer.

Reluctantly, because she knows her friend is still too hurt to listen, Amelia raises from the ground, pressing a kiss to Regina's hair, hugging her with one arm despite the awkward angle and lack of reaction.

Leaving the tent without a word, she glances one last time at her best friend, who is holding the old man's hand, stroking it absentmindedly, watching his face as if the power of her gaze could wake him up from his coma, save him from a certain death.

Amelia hasn't made more than ten feet when she faces Robin and Regina's father, both with a look of concern in their eyes, a frown crossing their foreheads. She shakes her head at their silent question.

"She won't get out of there, and I'm not sure even the two of you united will make her change her mind."

Robin nods to the young woman, a hand on her shoulder as a wordless thanks, and shares a look with Henry, before heading for the tent again, joining his wife and bringing his hand to her back.

"Hey!" He feels Regina tense at his touch and word, and though she relaxes almost immediately, he can't help but feel surprised by her reaction. "I'm going to bed. Do you want to stay here?"

She just nods, doesn't even bother to look up at him. Henry steps forward, appears in her sight as he was hidden by her husband until now, so Robin moves to the side to let him approach his daughter, gives them some privacy as he goes to retrieve a blanket nearby.

"Do not blame yourself for that tragedy, Regina." His voice is low, kind and soft, and maybe it's because he's her father, but Regina's answer is not as sharp as she intended.

"There is no point in trying to comfort me, daddy. I just need to be here. It's the least I can do." After a second, she adds "Please."

"Alright, sweetheart."

She accepts her father's hug, but does not meet his eyes, and she's already back to her task at taking care of the dying man when Robin walks back to her an instant later, her father already gone.

He wraps her in a thick blanket, stays by her side for a few seconds, looking over at the man whose eyes are closed, breathing slow and weak, skin pale, his head wrapped in a bandage over the still bleeding deep wound tainting the band of a red color. He received a massive blow to the head, and according to his brothers who took a look at the injury, there is too much damage for them to do anything, besides waiting for death to take him.

"His name is Eli." Regina's voice comes, and Robin almost jumps with the surprise of hearing her speak after asking quite clearly to be given some space.

But he knows her, knows that if she decides to give a little, she will give everything, so he waits, listens, lets her open up to him the way she refused to with her father and best friend.

"Friar  _Eli,_ " she repeats, tugging at the name, letting it linger on her tongue, the lightness, those three letters, a strong reminder of the person she knew. "He was...  _is,_ " she corrects, because he's not gone yet, "one of the oldest priests. He decided to dedicate his life to religion when he was only a young man. His faith in humanity was... beyond any limit." She reveals in awe. "What an irony that he will die because of one of the most evil humans who ever existed."

Robin can feel the resentment in her words, the disgust, the loath, and he can't blame her, not after everything, especially not after that. He reaches for her, his hand at the base of her neck, warm, stroking, comforting, and she scoots away on the chair, an invitation for him to sit. He does, and her eyes are still on the barely alive body in front of her, but Regina takes place on his lap anyway. Her hands meet his around her front, her face leans to the side to rest against his, and he can feel the heaviness of her heart, the storm of feelings she's trying to hide, the culpability and love that force her to spend the night by Eli's side, so he adjusts their position, holds her as close as possible.

She accepts his comfort, his presence, his tenderness, for now at least, so he gives her all he has, all he can think of, loosening the embrace when she reaches for the cloth and wets it again.

He stays as long as she has him, as long as she needs him, fighting the tiredness of his mind and body, sharing that moment of intimacy with his wife, until she moves in his arms, looking at him for the first time since he walked in.

"You should go get some rest," she says softly, bringing her hand to his face tenderly, and before he can argue, "I'll be fine. You need to sleep."

He catches her chin between his fingers, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, then her brow. "Alright. I'm here if you need anything."

He breaks the contact as he raises from the chair, giving a last glance to the man he knows will be dead by morning, and starts to turn away when Regina grabs his fingers. He turns to find her looking at him with kindness, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand. "Thank you, Robin."

"Anytime, my love." And then she lets him go, her attention back on Friar Eli on the bed.

xxx

Robin comes back to the tent the next morning to find Regina asleep, still sitting on her seat but bent in half over the now -given the color, there is no doubt left- dead body, her face buried into her folded arms on his chest, her hand still gripping the old man's. Glancing around, he notices the looks of some women, a compassionate or pitiful one, depending on the person, but more importantly, he meets Tuck's eyes.

His friend is standing, a bandage for every injury covering him, checking on his friends, giving healing advices to the members of the camp. They meet halfway, still a few feet from where Regina is, their voice low not to disturb the necessary sleep of the young woman and the others still sleeping men.

"What are you doing up so early?" Robin scolds. "You should rest, Tuck. Get your strength back."

"Don't worry Robin, I'm alright. You should take care of this one, though." he tilts his chin towards Regina, adding in a concerned voice. "She really took it to heart. What happened to us, Eli and the others' death. She feels responsible."

"I know." Robin sighs, wiping his face with his hand. "She blamed herself for everything, the King's death too. And nothing seems to help."

" _You_  help, Robin," Tuck assures, and his friend looks at him with a frown and a question on his face. "I woke up before she fell asleep, and we talked a little. She told me what happened. She told me about the baby," he confesses slowly, and pain flashes in Robin's eyes, making Tuck wait for a moment, the time for him to be sure his friend is alright. "I'm sorry."

Robin's nod is tainted by teary eyes and a weak and watery smile, and when he opens his mouth again it's to speak with a strangled voice. "It's just..." he swallows back a sob and blinks back tears, looking over at his wife, so small, so fragile, so beautiful, and if there was a way to wipe all this pain and sadness away, if there was a way to give her her innocence back, he would pay the price, no matter the amount.

"Every time we have hope that things will get better, there is news of yet another one of her mother's horrific accomplishments." His friend's hand squeezes his shoulder. "I just want her to be happy, Tuck. She doesn't deserve all of this, the guilt, the pain, the shame, feeling the responsibility of her mother's action weight on her shoulders. I want her to have the life she always dreamt of. I want to give her that life."

"And you are." Tuck insists. " _You are_." he repeats slowly in front of the man's doubtful look. "Robin, she finds the strength to fight in  _you_. In your constant presence by her side. You have no idea the depths of her love for you, my friend." Robin is touched by the words, by the assurance of his wife's feelings, though he never doubted them, but hearing it is bringing peace to his troubled mind. "You're doing the right thing," Tuck resumes "and it might seem like it's not enough right now, but it's what's keeping her standing everyday. She said you're the only reason she even wants to wake on the morning. So go take care of your wife, Robin. She needs you, more than I do."

"Are you sure?" Robin asks, because he knows what Tuck told them, he knows what he did, the extent of the massacre, and can only begin to imagine how deeply the man must be scarred by it, especially given the new faith growing in him.

"Yes. This is something I must deal with alone, with my God and my conscience. You have more urgent matters at stake."

With this, he leaves him here, heart full of those revelations, full of love, and it takes Robin a second to move again, to realize, to walk to Regina and card his fingers through her hair gently, helping her slowly to lean back on the seat, careful not to fully wake her. She squirms a little, stirs, whimpers slightly, and Robin can see the remnant of tears on her face, making his heart ache for her, for this new grief. He scoops her in his arms the best he can, adjusting her without waking her, holding her body tightly against him, to protect her from the cold of the outside, to protect her from the world.

He walks the way back to their tent without noticing the glances of their friends, lies her down on the bed and almost falls over her when she reflexively grips his jacket the moment he tries to pull away. Without a second thought, he kicks his boots off, climbs into bed, and even in her sleep she rolls over to him, curls immediately against him. He gathers her in his arms, her cheek against his chest, his lips in her hair, his hand on her back. He pulls the covers up over her shoulders when she shivers, and focuses on her, on her steady breath, on the scent of her skin, on the warmth of her body pressed against his.

Had the circumstances been different, here and now, with his wife asleep and snuggled in his arms, he could have thought that this was what heaven actually looked and felt like.

* * *

_Present_

" _It took us time to recover from what happened. We cremated Eli's body on the next day, spread his ashes in the forest. The priests got back their strength, slowly. They didn't have anywhere else to stay. Going back to the monastery was too dangerous. We let them stay in the headquarters' tent, so we were mostly meeting in a secluded part of the camp, but no plan was made. Not yet, it was too soon. The Merry Men didn't know those people who died for them, but I did, and I was in no state to go for battle or even work on a strategy._

_I managed not to sink down, not the way I had when I lost my baby. As hurt as I was by what had happened to my friends, it wasn't the same, the wound wasn't as deep. Anyway, even if it had, Robin wouldn't have let me. He was my rock. And I had my friends, Tuck included, along with my father. Under different circumstances, I would have been so thrilled. I felt it sometimes. Happiness. It wasn't much, just a glimpse of it, but there were moments when I managed to... forget?_ _"_ _she shakes her head._ _"_ _Well, not really forget, but at least accept it, the situation. There were some moments when I just lived my life, because it was the only way not to let Cora win. But at some point, the Merry Men gathered for a reunion. We needed to decide what our next move would be. Needless to say we weren't all on the same page._ _"_

* * *

Ten days later

"Do you honestly think it has nothing to do with what we did?"

Robin gives Colin a glare, but doesn't answer. Probably because he doesn't know what to say, what the right answer is, what he thinks about all this.

The monastery's attack might be a payback for the way they humiliated Cora with the carriages robbery, but there is no way to be certain. She didn't claim it was the reason, and anyway, when you're in search of someone, going after the people who are helping is something common. But why now? Why  _only_  now? The timing is odd and suspicious, they can't argue with that. But putting that burden onto everyone's shoulders is not something smart to do, not when fear is spreading in the kingdom at fast speed.

"I think there is no way to know for sure." Little John reasons. "Cora never mentioned the robbery, she never said it was the reason why-"

"She never will." Regina cuts, and all eyes are on her.

They've met to talk about what was on everyone's mind, but she's been silent through most of the conversation. Even now, she's not looking at them, her head down, sitting on a large rock and hugging herself.

"She will never admit a failure, there is no way she'll ever speak of it. Least of all in public."

"What about Marian?"

There is suddenly a deep, embarrassed, confused silence at Dean's words. Regina looks up to find the others' puzzled gazes, all those who don't know -so basically almost everyone, because they didn't speak about her encounter with Regina again after they reached the camp.

"What about her?"

"She is the only one who knew about the monastery and isn't on our side," the young man explains. "I don't believe any of us or our friends who came to your wedding betrayed us. And after your confrontation-"

"Wait!" Arthur steps in. "What confrontation?"

Similar questions raise among the other men, and they all stare at Regina in confusion, brow furrowing and mouths scowling.

Robin glares at Dean, but the man stays silent, looks over at Regina, who's at a loss for words. She never planned to relive this moment again, never expected to rehearse that scene. She knows her friends will be furious at her for taking so much risk and pissing off yet another person, but they can't understand. They can't understand that it was something she needed to do to be able to move on.

"She was in the carriage I attacked," she says solemnly.

"And you talked to her?"

Arthur has taken a step forward, but he's not the only one. She can see the faces of several of her friends light up in realization. Of what? She's not certain. They're probably convinced now that it is all her fault, not theirs. A simple truth so much easier to accept. Blame the main target.

"I did."

"How did it go?" Alan questions, his tone more gentle, more understanding too. He's never been very fond of conflicts anyway.

"Not well," she winces. "She thinks I ruined her life."

"Perfect!" Rowan spits from the background. "A dozen of innocent men are dead because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!"

"Hey!"

Robin's angry tone startles them all by the strength in it. He takes a step in the man's direction, his body instinctively shielding his wife from Rowan's sight.

"You don't talk to her like that! She had her reasons."

"So you knew?"

"Of course I knew! She's my wife. She told me everything on the same night it happened."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Like I said, she had her reasons. Reasons it's not your place to question. Nor mine."

"You'd agree to pretty much everything she says anyway. She must be really good in bed for you to be so blind." Rowan bites bitterly. Robin takes a threatening step forward, drawing the attention of his friends, Little John and Alan moving in the way, stopping him, Regina reaching for his shoulder from behind, Eric trying to hold Rowan back. "Or maybe she's just a witch like her bitch of a mother."

"Robin!" Regina exclaims forcefully when her husband's fist starts to raise, halting his progress. "Don't! It's not worth it."

"I won't let him insult you like that."

"Robin, she's right," Alan replies calmly. "It won't solve anything. We just need to decide what we're going to do now."

His friend's words seem to mend his anger a bit, and he steps back, turning to his wife and waving their fingers, leaning into her palm when her hand strokes his cheek tenderly, easing his ill temper, even though his breath is still raged.

There is an uncomfortable thick atmosphere around them, only disturbed by John and Eric's scolding to Rowan for his acerb remarks.

"Maybe we should keep a low profile," Arthur suggests, breaking the tension. "Stop our activities until we've found a way to get rid of the Queen."

Regina's hand drop on Robin's chest when he looks at his friend, frowning. "It could take months. How do you suggest we survive until then? And more importantly, the villagers? With Cora and Georges' alliance, they all have a knife under their throats. The two are oppressing the people and taking everything they have. If we don't help them-"

"Not counting Ruth." Regina reminds, cutting her husband. "She and David are hiding Snow White. The princess and Johanna are hiding in the farm's small basement every time there is a tax collect, but if Ruth can't pay her due, they will turn the house upside-down and find them. Then they will all be sentenced to death and without a legitimate heir to the throne, the kingdom will be exposed, left unprotected and weakened, even if we succeed in defeating my mother."

"They're right," John agrees. "We can't let the people down. Not now."

"But how do we do it?" Colin questions. "If our robbery indeed caused the death of so many, how can we be sure she won't kill someone else after the next one?"

"We can't." Robin concedes. "But that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Maybe you are, but I'm not." A voice comes from the crowd, followed by several others.

"This is too risky."

"She will go after the people if we keep provoking her."

"So you just want to give up?" Regina steps in, moving away from Robin and towards her friends, speaking loudly. "You want to hide while she does whatever she wants? Forget everything we've ever been fighting for because the obstacle is too difficult to overcome? Because you're afraid?"

"You've been her first victim, Regina," Arthur reminds. "You are her main target. You lost so much at your mother's hand, and yet you're ready to lose even more? To risk other people' lives?"

There is another silence following, but it doesn't last long.

"I want to be free," Regina speaks in a steady and strong voice, determined. "I want to live my life the way  _I_  want to, with no threat hanging upon my head. I want to go visit my friends at the farm, sleep without dreading the nightmares in which she kills you all. I want to give my husband a child, and be a mother," she says shakily, glancing at Robin sheepishly, her voice faltering, until she looks up again at Arthur. "I want to raise that baby in a world without constant fear. And most of all, I want to be able to look at my child in the eyes, when he's older, and tell him that I fought until the end to build him a safe future." She lets out a deep breath. "Isn't this a good reason not to give up? Isn't it worth the risks?"

Arthur is silent, head ducking to the side, apparently convinced, but not everyone is.

"This is your motivation. But what about us? What about all the people you put at risk in the first place?"

"Regina didn't do anything!" Robin argues.

"She's the reason why Cora killed the King and is now a pain in the ass for so many instead of just the two of you."

"Cora killed the King out of power, Gilbert," John reminds.

"And out of revenge, because he was helping her," the man adds, pointing at Regina.

"We can't be sure of that."

"Just like we can't be sure the monastery wasn't a retaliation for what we did. I still think it's too risky to-"

"Then don't be a part of it." Robin cuts with annoyance. "We never forced anyone. If you want to step back-"

"I never said I wanted to step back!"

"But you don't want to do your job."

"My job?" Gilbert exclaims, brows shooting up. "What job? We haven't even decided if we kept stealing or not! Or do you plan on being just as tyrannic as your mother-in-law and force us to put our lives in line for what  _you_  think is the greater good?"

"You want to see tyranny?" Robin snaps forcefully, startling everyone. "Then walk out of this camp," he points a finger towards the exit "and go live in one of the villages nearby. See what they're going through! How they have to work day and night to provide just enough money to pay the taxes, and have nothing left on the table to eat other than some bread for five kids and their parents by the end of the day!" He's yelling now, walking to his friend until he's right in his face. "You go there for a week, and then you come back and tell me that fighting for them is not worthy enough! That those people out there protecting us with their lives are not a good reason for us to risk ours! That we should just hide and act cowardly while they're starving and imprisoned and killed! That the happiness you see everyday on your wife's face and the constant giggling of your daughter are not something you think everyone should experience. That those people don't deserve it. I  _dare_  you to look me in the eyes and tell me that!"

He finishes his speech breathless and tense, hands closed into tight fists, eyes dark with anger. When Regina reaches for his arm gently and pulls him to her, he refuses at first, but she insists. He relents, and accepts her embrace, the way she almost forces him against her, tucks his head in her neck, trails her hand on his back, into his hair. She silently tempers his rage, tightens her grip without a word when she feels him swallow a sob and blink back tears. He's livid, furious, his anger so intense he has trouble getting it under control. She's the one calming him this time, ignoring the embarrassed tension left by his loud and harsh words and focusing on nothing but him, the way his fingers close and open on her waist, how his labored breath is slowly evening, on the tear that manages to fall from his eye, rolling on her neck and down to her chest.

"Can I know what is happening here?"

A soft but firm voice makes them all jump, turning to Tuck who's joined them without anyone realizing. He's concerned, brow furrowed, head tilted to the side, arms crossed on his chest.

For a moment, they just stare at him. Stare at him in silence, because they're still recovering from the reality of the world Robin so hardly threw at their faces. Not that they weren't aware of it. But putting it into words is making it more real.

"Well?" Tuck asks again.

Little John takes a step in his friend's direction, his voice low and hesitant, slightly trembling.

"We were trying to decide whether or not we should keep stealing."

"And why is that?"

There is an uncomfortable glance exchanged between all the others, all those who know, and Tuck's confusion only grows wider.

"Because," Eric finally confesses shyly. "We think maybe our last attack, which was directed against the Queen, is the reason why she went after you and your friends."

Tuck's eyes open in understanding, but he speaks almost immediately.

"It wasn't."

"What? How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not," he concedes. "But given what I know about Cora, she would have come after us at some point." He moves forward until he's standing in the middle of the group, looking at them. "What happened to us is a tragedy, but it can't be the reason why you must stop helping people. It'd make all this story useless, my brothers' deaths pointless. I understand that you are afraid, but you can't let Cora divide you like this. If you want to beat her, you need to stay united. And the people need the Merry Men, now more than ever."

"But what if she goes after them for every one of our attacks?" Arthur questions.

"Because you think she won't if you don't? That she's not already, maybe even now as we speak?" Tuck scoffs dryly. "People need hope. They need money. They need to know there are people here ready to help them, defend them. That's who we've always been. So maybe for a while keep a low profile, go only after smaller targets. Take just enough money for them to survive. And then go back to who we were, who we  _are_. You steal from the rich, you give to the poor. And if Cora, or Georges, or Notthingham, go after you... well, it won't be the first time, won't it?"

Tuck's words seem to have calmed the spirits, because they sigh, and nod, and agree that this is actually a good idea, that he is right, Robin is right, they can't forget who they are, they can't let the people who count on them down.

From a common agreement, after the older man reminds them to remember who they are, and to fight  _together_ , not against each other, the group slowly splits and spreads.

Regina is still holding Robin by the waist, has watched the whole exchange in silence, has felt her heart swell with anger and break with the reality of the truth, then warm with Tuck's advice. She gives a small smile to Alan and John when they walk pass them, but tenses when Rowan approaches, even if his hesitant pace is a proof he's not there for another fight.

"Look," he starts, getting Robin's attention as well, the man stiffening in his wife's hold "I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was pissed, and I crossed the line. I never meant to be insulting. I'm sorry."

Regina nods her acceptance of his apology, breathing softly "Apology accepted. Thank you."

"Never do it again," Robin warns nonetheless, his voice still tainted with anger. "Regina has done more for this camp than you ever will. She's been here almost since the beginning. The next time you disrespect her like this, she won't be able to stop me from making you regret your words."

Rowan walks away after a wordless nod, leaving only the couple and Tuck behind, the man looking at his friends with worry.

Regina finally breaks the contact with Robin to go meet him, wraps her arms around him and hugs him tightly, whispering in his ear, "I missed you so much." And then, when she pulls back, "Thank you for what you said. We needed it. You always managed to temper the most stormy fights, and calm things down."

"I meant every word, Regina. You all need to stay united if you want to win this war."

"I know."

"And I'm going to stay here and help the best I can."

Her eyes widen and she turns to Robin, who's frowning, joining them, wondering. "What do you mean?"

"I talked with my brothers. We're staying here for a while, like we all agreed, but at some point we will go back. I told them I won't. As long as this war is on, I want to be a part of it."

Regina's face scrunches in confusion, brow knitting, mouth twitching. "But your training-"

"Can wait." Tuck cuts her. "This is more important. What kind of man of faith would I be if I don't help my friends when they need me the most?"

A large smile breaks the scowl of her mouth, and Regina jumps in his arms, squeezing so tight he lets out a strangled chuckle. She pulls back with a  _thank you_  plastered on her lips, and Robin pats his friend's shoulder affectionately, grateful.

"Thank you, Tuck. It's really good to have you back."


	15. The most resilient heart : Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a strong dose of OQ feels to make it up for all the pain I put you through ;-)

A little more than eight and a half months earlier

Two weeks after Tuck decided to stay

The talk is animated around the fire, the men obviously looking forward to the night of songs, dance and music, along with the feast that is currently roasting in front of them. A deer, that they hunted the day before, when they decided to throw a party, not to celebrate but to ease their minds, put the fear aside, and remember they are still alive.

After their decision to keep a low profile, they only attacked travelers, rich families but no one important enough to be noticed by the Queen and the King. So the money is not flowing, not as good as it was, but given the fact they have crops at the camp and animals to hunt in the forest, they manage. They split most of what they steal between all the people in need, but they keep a small income for them in case of an emergency. It's not much, so they're being careful on the expenses, but three days ago they got lucky. A bunch of them happened to cross path with wealthy travelers, clearly not from this Kingdom, and the robbery had been easy, and rewarding, more than their usual other targets.

So tonight, they decided to have fun, all together, like old times.

And because he has been here for her without failing once, Regina has special plans for her husband tonight. She wants to thank him, be there for him, please him, and this is not much, just a little something she hopes he will like, but it's the best she could come up with, given the fact that taking him out on a romantic night in town is obviously out of the question.

She talked about it with Amelia a week before, and her friend had been secretly helping her since, buying everything she needed and keeping the secret from Robin and even her own husband.

Regina had missed it, this complicity with her friend, light conversation and time just the two of them. Their walk to Rotherhamer had been more animated, cheerful, excited. This idea had been an opportunity for her to reinforce her relationship with the blonde woman, and it had helped her too, having her back like before, laughing over a secret plan instead of dreading every person they met.

And now Amelia is fetching Robin, and Regina is pacing in her tent, anxious, excited, hopeful, impatient, and when he enters the room she has her back on him, fists her hands and screws her eyes and mouth shut, waiting for him.

"Regina? What is-"

She finally breathes when he stops talking, because she knows he just realized, knows he's seen her, and she forces herself to turn to face him, looking up shyly, biting her lip, a nervous smile waiting for him before growing.

He's... slack-jawed, to say the least. Eyes wide, mouth open, his gaze roaming over her from head to toe, and she searches for him, to lock their eyes, but he's too flabbergasted to notice, so she asks warily "Robin?"

His look works his way up to her face now, and he shakes his head out of his stupor, taking a step forward, holding his hands for her and she links their fingers.

"You are..."

He's still out for words, she understands, and she can't suppress the hint of pride to settle in her chest, the knowledge that she can have that effect on him. Her smile turns into a wide smug grin, and she leans in, nuzzles his nose, murmurs against his lips, not kissing him though.

"I'm what?"

She feels good. She feels beautiful, and in a teasing mood, flirtatious, in love, the way she should have felt every day since her wedding, and God, this freedom and carelessness is so refreshing!

"Stunning," he finally lets out, claiming her lips in a wet kiss, winding his arms around her waist. He brings her close to him, so close that she can feel the effect she has on him, and she chuckles into the kiss, pulls back slightly, each hand on the side of his neck, stroking lovingly.

"What's the occasion?" he asks, voice tainted with arousal.

" _You_." she replies, giving his neck a little tug, but in front of his confusion, adds softly "I wanted to do something for you," She tightens her hold for a second to punctuate her words. "To thank you, for being here for me all the time. I know it's not easy every day, so I-"

He stops her with another kiss, one that tells her he doesn't want to talk about that kind of thing, not tonight, not now, not when she's standing in front of him wearing a dark blue dress, with a tight corset and embroideries over her not too deep but revealing enough cleavage. It's not something she was used to wearing when she was younger, not one of those large and unpractical outfits she couldn't breathe into. It's lighter, simpler, but beautiful, adjusting perfectly to her body to reveal all her forms to her, apparently, very pleased husband.

"How did you procure for this dress?" he asks when he recedes.

"Amelia made it. I bought what she needed last time we went to town." she confesses.

"I thought we decided not to spend more money than necessary."

Regina shrugs to give herself some consistence, but a hint of guilt flickers in her eyes. "I had some savings. And I think it  _was_  necessary. For _us_."

But instead of the lecture she thinks she's about to get, Robin's frown smoothes into something more comprehensive, obviously touched by her gesture. His fingers reach for the line of her hair, brushing some strands behind her ear tenderly, his gaze lowering to take another look at her body, hand following and sliding along her chest and waist, stopping at her hip.

"I owe her a thank you. You are absolutely... My love, you are breathtaking."

She looks down, chuckling again, resting her forehead against his.

"I remember the look you had when you saw me in my wedding dress." She breathes, one of her hand playing with the hair at his nape. "And when we were at Leopold's castle well... It wasn't exactly..." she trails off, looking for the right word, but she doesn't find it, or doesn't want to, shakes her head instead. "Anyway, I wanted to get that look back." She smiles softly when the blue of his eyes turns deeper, darker. "Yes, this one."

"Regina," he shakes his head, pulling back a little. "I never found you less attractive because you don't wear the same clothing as the other women. You never did before our wedding and I still fell madly in love with you."

"I know. It's not like that," she assures. "I just wanted to remember how we felt back then,  _before_." She stops, doesn't even trail off, because she too doesn't want to talk about it, so she resumes immediately "It's not much, but-"

"It's perfect," he cuts her, weaving his fingers in her loose hair that Amelia helped curl up a little more than natural so it will fall in perfect waves over her shoulders. " _You_  are perfect. Thank you." he adds with a little pull and she smirks, eyes as dark with lust as his when she speaks.

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait to have your wicked way with me."

She playfully bucks her hips forward, making them both acutely aware of his growing erection, and he swallows a low moan, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on her shoulder.

"You're killing me."

She trails her hand in his hair, bringing him closer, dropping kisses in his neck as he tightens his grip on her. "Soon." she promises. "Believe me, it's as hard for me as it is for you."

xxx

The meal is much appreciated, the light talk and throaty laughs welcomed. Regina is sitting between her husband and her father, facing Amelia, Little John and Connor, the little boy making his way between his mother, father, and Regina's laps, chatting with Robin and sometimes even Henry, despite the scolding of his parents at his inability to stay put. But well, he's three, he's excited by the party, and who truly cares about rules tonight?

And now Robin and Little John are telling Henry and Amelia how Regina, during her first days at the camp, managed to break the rope holding the bucket with a sharp rock from the well, and how Robin had to climb down to get it back.

"She felt so bad!" Little John laughs. "For weeks she refused to approach the well."

"And she didn't even dare ask us for water when she was thirsty." Robin chuckles. "She was afraid to bother us."

"If you remember, it took you a while to get down there," Regina reminds with a pointed look, but her eyes are shining with amusement. "You were soaked to the bones when the men finally managed to pull you out of it."

"Maybe, but the expression on your face was priceless, my love," he argues, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "You were mortified."

"Don't remind me! I still remember it," she chuckles.

Amelia looks up from Connor, sitting on her lap and stubbornly refusing to eat his meal, to the adults. "I didn't know this story, Regina. You never told me."

"Because I'm not very proud of it."

"It's still quite a story," Henry comments, smiling at his daughter. "But I always thought the rope used in a well was supposed to be stronger than that."

"It usually is," Robin explains. "But after Regina's feat, we changed it, took a more solid one. To her defense, the rope we had was old and fragile. It could have happened to any of us."

Regina's sharp and indignant glare is evident and has everyone chuckling when she exclaims "And you're only telling me that now? I felt so guilty for weeks and you didn't even bother to inform me it was bound to happen at some point?"

"Like I said, your mortification was too cute. I couldn't find it in myself to tell you the truth."

He leans forward again, but she smacks his chest playfully, pulling back, their laughs joining their friends', until an exasperated  _Connor!_  from Amelia is cutting them off and drawing their attention.

"Finish your food, and then you can play."

"Not hungry!" He protests, crossing his small arms over his chest and pouting in an adorable way that makes the scolding even more difficult.

Regina watches Little John backing up his wife unsuccessfully for a while, before she decides to step in. Maybe it's because she's not the boy's mother, but she usually is the one who manages to get through him when he acts stubborn.

"Hey, Connor!" she calls gently, getting his attention. "Come here!" She opens her arms for him, and he clumsily climbs down his mother's lap, running happily around the table and giving Robin several kicks when he jumps on the bench and into Regina's arms.

She settles him on her lap, half turned to her so he can see her, and she gathers his plate and spoon, then looks softly at him, weaving a hand in his hair.

"I'll tell you what. I've heard that there's going to be some music and dancing tonight," she announces on a confidencial tone, smiling when the child's eyes light up in wonder -he loves parties, she knows that, has been his partner many times.

"Really?"

"Really.  _But_ ," she starts, her voice growing serious. "It's only for those who finish their food. The others will have to stay on their benches and watch from afar."

"Why?"

"Because you need to get a lot of energy if you want to be able to have fun, honey! So that's the rule. No food, no dance. You know I'm your partner, and I want to go dancing." She glances up at his plate, nudging his shoulder with hers playfully. "So what do you say? Are you going to finish that plate, so we can go dancing, you and I?"

The way he grabs his spoon and nods eagerly at the same time is almost comical, and Regina sits him properly so he faces the table, looking up at his parents, at Amelia's mouthed  _thank you_  and Little John's smirk.

Connor is still eating when Alan and Much start to play the lute, Anton and Colin grabbing their flute and tambourine respectively. People begin to raise from their seats, and their feet just have to follow the music, remember those songs they used to hear at least three times a week in a time that seems to be ages ago. Regina keeps Connor's attention on his food, assures him they will go in a moment, once he's done, and shakes her head with a smile when John and Amelia ask if she minds keeping an eye on their child while they go dancing. Little John gets up, offers his hand to his wife, and Amelia takes it willingly, heading to dance with a smile from ear to ear, leaving Regina alone with her son, Robin and Henry.

They focus on Connor, the three of them, enjoying every minute, every smile, every word of this sweet boy, ignoring the twist in their guts telling the couple they should be expecting a child of their own, because it's unfair, it won't help. Nevertheless, the energy he gives them is enough to remind them that life is going on, they're still alive, they're still married, and in love, and young, and once this nightmare is over, there will be plenty of time to create a new family.

Holding her promise, Regina takes Connor to dance. She swirls and turns and lifts him in the air, reveling in his crystal-like little laugh, enjoying every single moment.

From where he watches her with Henry, Robin can't help but think she has never looked more beautiful to him than this instant. She holds the child with expert hands, leads his feet when she puts him on the ground, making him turn in circles,gathers him in her arms again and lifts him above her head, making him yelp with joy, a throaty laugh escaping them both.

He watches his wife with Connor for a long while, an absentminded smile tugging at his lips, ducking his head. Until his eyes catch the sight of someone else, of another child staring at Regina, a little to the side, sitting on a bench with his friends, talking to them but glancing at the woman every now and then.

Robin knows this boy, has noticed his behavior towards his wife, the way he accepted when she put some distance between them, but also the disappointment he's struggling to hide, the need to have more, but the respect he feels for Regina forcing him to stay away.

Robin knows Matthew is a good kid, Regina mentioned him more than once after she brought him back to the camp and looked after him at the beginning, making sure he recovered from his life in the streets. Among all her students, he's the one she got attached to the most. The one in need of a family more than others. They had agreed, back then, that at some point, after having enjoyed some time alone as husband and wife, and after having learned to know the young boy, they would discuss the possibility of taking care of him. It is, after all, something common amongst the camp, for a married couple to take a lost child they got attached to in.

But with everything that happened, with the loss of their baby and the war going on, Robin had seen his wife put the idea aside. He knows she isn't ready. After all, she confessed she wasn't feeling up to raising a child when they decided to send Snow White to Ruth's. But inside of him, despite the pain and heartbreak every time he thinks of their baby, Robin can't help but hope that in the future, Regina will change her mind.

"You'll have this one day, Robin." A voice comes, startling the outlaw and pulling him out of his thoughts.

Robin turns to the old man next to him, gives him a questioning look, sighing deeply when he understands what Henry is talking about, before drawing his gaze back to his wife. "I hope so. She should be that happy every day."

"She will." Henry assures, one hand squeezing his son-in-law's shoulder. "You both will." He lowers his voice so no one else will hear them -quite unnecessary in the middle of a party, honestly- adding on a tone of confidence. "And between you and me, I'm very glad she chose you as her husband. You're a good man, and you're taking very good care of her. Despite what you two went through, I don't think I ever saw her that happy. That's all I could have asked for my little girl."

"Thank you, sir. It means a lot." Robin answers, nodding slightly, touched.

"What are you two talking about?"

They both jump back at the teasing but breathless voice, turning to watch Regina carefully slip on the bench between them, smiling, a pink-cheeked but obviously tired Connor on her hip. She's spent almost an hour dancing with him, and it's late now for the little boy, way past his usual bedtime. She leans in when Robin brings a hand to her neck, guiding her to his lips, dropping a kiss to her temple and then bending to kiss Connor's forehead.

"Nothing of your concern." Henry says softly, winking at Robin. "Did you have fun?"

She nods eagerly, helping the boy settle against her comfortably. "Oh yes, and this one too. Though I think the party will be over soon, judging by these sleepy eyes."

As a reflex Connor rubs his eyes with his small fists, yawning and leaning his head against her chest, snuggling closer.

Regina's gaze wanders to the people still dancing, and she tilts her chin towards John and Amelia, who just caught sight of her and their son back at the table.

"These two look particularly beaming tonight. Do you know something I don't?" she asks her husband.

Robin honestly shrugs and shakes his head "No. But you're right, they do seem really happy."

Before his wife can answer, they are interrupted by the boy's mother.

"Someone obviously needs to go to bed." Amelia says with a smile as she walks closer to the group, her husband close behind, looking at their son. Connor is curled up in Regina's arms, the woman resting her back against her husband's chest while she trails her fingers through the boy's hair, a soothing and caring pace that has him closing his eyes and dozing off quickly.

Amelia crouches in front of her son, brushing the side of his face tenderly. "You say goodnight, Connor?"

The boy sleepily nods, rubbing his eyes as he looks up at Regina, "'night, 'Gina."

She bends to kiss his hair, smiles softly as she bids him goodnight too. Connor gives a hug to Robin, another -surprising everyone, because he's never done it before- to Regina's father, and holds his arms for his mother to take him. Little John kisses his son goodbye, and Regina watches as mother and son leave with a heavy -but full of love- heart.

She starts to converse with her father, and John settles across Robin at the table, beginning an animated conversation, soon joined by Tuck and Alan, the quartet finally reunited.

The men are still deep into memories when Eric asks Regina for a dance, so Robin doesn't mind the man stealing his wife, even when he bows comically in front of her and offers his hand. She laughs at the gesture, lets him lead her to the ground, leaving her father with Amelia, who returned from putting Connor to bed.

Eric makes her swing and turn and dance, guiding her with expert hands -he's one of the finest dancers at the camp- and when she returns to her seat four songs later it's with a smile reaching her eyes and her hair a little messier than before.

"It's good to see you like this." The voice startles her, making Regina turn to her father, smiling affectionately, her hand covering his. "I understand why you chose this life. And I'm glad you did."

"Thank you, daddy. It is definitely more entertaining than the balls where we used to be invited." she chuckles.

"I have to admit that yes, it is." The old man nods.

She gets up again then, holding out her hand for him, urging him to come dancing with her, but he shakes his head.

"Oh no! I have no idea how to dance this. I'm not even sure I can."

She gives him a look then, walks away towards the musicians, and when she comes back to her father the rhythm of the music has changed. It's slower, more like the dances Henry is accustomed to, so he doesn't relent this time, accepts this moment of intimacy, holds his daughter and guides her among the small crowd.

Regina lets her feet slide onto the ground, the firm guidance correcting her little mistakes, what she has forgotten with time and lack of practice. It's pleasant. It's private. It's a moment of tenderness shared with her father, a memory of a past together, of cuddling, sweet words and kisses on a warm forehead. It's bedtime stories forbidden by her mother, and horseback riding just the two of them, and Regina's hand slides from her father's shoulder to wrap around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, daddy." He answers in kind, his words full of emotion, and she pulls back, looks at him with teary eyes. "Thank you, for accepting me as I am."

The music has slowed down, and Henry noticed, presses a kiss to his daughter's forehead, smiling softly. "You will always be my little girl, Regina, and I will always love you, no matter the path you choose to follow. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and I'm relieved to see you found what you were looking for in this place."

He pulls back from her then, looking over her shoulder and she only understands when a warm hand settles in her lower back. She finds Robin exchanging a look with her father, and the last one gives her hand to her husband, along with a nod of approval as he heads back to his seat next to Amelia.

"I couldn't help admiring you in that dress all evening, my love. I've always found you attractive and beautiful, but I must say tonight you're truly the fairest of them all."

She blushes at the compliment, presses their bodies closer. "I guess that's a subtle way to tell me I should wear more dresses."

He hums in agreement, nuzzling her cheek, finding his way to her jaw, then neck, nipping the skin with his teeth as he murmurs, "I wouldn't complain indeed."

She shivers violently when he finds that particular spot he knows makes her knees weak when he lingers and presses his tongue there. His grip on her tightens instinctively, either in satisfaction or to prevent her knees from failing her, she doesn't know, but she closes her eyes as he trails open-mouth kisses there, her fingers curling in his neck as she sighs in contentment.

"Robin..." she breathes in a voice low for other reasons than to keep the conversation out of their friends' ears. "We're in public." she reminds, and he groans in her neck, moves his kisses to her jaw, then cheek, temple, before pulling back, a false look of disappointment on his face.

"Your fault. I'm very fond of my surprise tonight." He kisses her mouth once, twice, another time, before leaning back and focusing on the dancing again. "And you're quite irresistible, you know that?"

She smiles widely and winks at him, teasing. "My lovely husband keeps telling me that indeed." And then adding, "Needless to say he's quite good-looking himself." She compliments.

They laugh softly, eyes shining with love, and when the music changes into something even more romantic -or is it just their state of mind and the few beers and wine they had?-, Regina closes her eyes and rests her head on his shoulder, her forehead against his neck, relaxing in his embrace. Robin brings his wife closer, one hand in the middle of her back, the other pressed on his chest along with hers. She lets him be her guide, trusts him completely, abandoning her body to his care, even has to fight to stay awake as the atmosphere and the strong beating of his heart lull her to sleep.

She's barely aware of the time she spends in his arms, doesn't even realize the music has died off when a voice murmurs in her ear softly. "Regina?"

She hums weakly, a low chuckle resonating against her cheek. Her eyes flutter open slowly, and she pulls back to meet Robin's loving eyes, glances around to realize people are starting to head for their tents and cabins, and the instruments are gone.

"Is it over?" she asks, disappointment piercing in her voice.

"Yes. It's already late."

"Oh... I didn't realize."

Robin trails a hand through her hair, tucking them back behind her ear, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I noticed," he says simply. "Your father went to bed a while ago, he didn't want to disturb you." He tugs at her hand, starts leading her to their tent, and she wraps an arm around his, follows him willingly, her steps a bit unsteady, half-asleep, maybe still a bit drunk too.

The tent's opening closes behind them, and Regina feels his warmth surround her, his strong arms moving around her waist, hands on her abdomen, his chin resting on her shoulder, his face next to hers. She sighs in contentment, leans back into Robin's embrace. She feels good. She feels safe. She feels young and in love,  _peaceful_.

"I spent a wonderful evening." Robin murmurs. "Thank you, for..."

He tugs at her dress, and she hums in agreement, burrows further into his hold, turns her head slightly towards him, eyes closed, comfortable, a feeling of abandon taking her and suddenly she wants nothing else but to stay like this forever. She brings a clumsy hand to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb, tugging at his hair gently, bringing him closer.

His lips find the crook of her neck, dropping a light kiss there, his voice just a whisper in her ear. "You should go to bed. You're already half asleep."

This time she shakes her head no, makes a little sound of displeasure, and turns slowly in his arms, eyes still shut, a little off balance, but he holds her firmly. Her mouth seeks his, and he meets her, kisses her, his hands on her lower back. One of hers reaches for his hair, the other gripping his shirt, her hips bucking forward and against his, telling him what she wants.

He guides her backwards carefully, until her back collides with the dresser, presses her against it, moving his lips to her neck, her shoulder, tracing a line of openmouthed kisses that raises goosebumps on her skin and makes her shiver and exhale softly. His hands find her nipples, thumbs rubbing through the fabric until they're stiff in his palm, a low moan coming from her in answer.

He fumbles with the lace of her corset, tries to undo it, and it takes him a moment but he does, frees her from it, lets the top of the dress loose, revealing more of her breasts, his gaze darkening at the sight.

Regina's eyes are still closed, and she enjoys his attention, although this is not what she has planned for tonight, not what she wanted. But as his fingers remove the dress, and his mouth follows, over her shoulders, breasts, lingering and licking and sucking, the suction drawing a loud moan from deep in her throat, as his tongue moves down her belly, flicks around her navel when the fabric falls at her feet, she can't find it in herself to stop him. Not now, not when she's already clenching in anticipation of what she knows he's about to do.

He's on his knees in front of her, has gotten her rid of her undergarments, one of his hands now behind her thigh, the other at her rear, kneading, caressing, holding her upright. "Spread your legs, my love."

He pats the back of her thigh softly to urge her, and she does, settles her hands on his shoulders, leans back carefully against the not-so-stable commode, sucks in a breath as he finds her opening, already wet and ready for him.

She jerks forward when the warmth of his mouth presses against her center, one hand reaches behind her to get a good hold on the vanity just next to the furniture, the other gripping his shoulder. Her breath grows heavier and shorter as he fucks her lazily with his tongue, warm and steady against her, relentless. She feels the pleasure build and spread slowly, surely, lets her eyes fall shut, reveling in the attention her husband gives her.

He moves one hand to her lower back, while the other is tracing a path towards where his mouth is, towards her core, and the anticipation almost throws her over the edge. She bites her lower lip, but she can't tamper the loud moan that slips out of her as he presses his tongue against her clit, two of his fingers entering her at the same time. He thrusts fast, searching and then pushing against  _that_  spot, the one making her head dizzy with pleasure and falling back, her knees weak and trembling, her fingers curling and fingernails digging into his skin.

"Robin! Just like -mmh- like that. This is-"

He doesn't seem to mind her grip tightening on him and her erratic and unfinished words, instead increases his speed, sucks the bunch of nerves as his hand keeps fucking her faster, and she can't hold back anymore, can't, not when he's doing this to her, not when his mouth is...  _oh!_

She comes with a shout of his name, hips bucking forward, toes curling and fingers crisping, but he doesn't stop, spreads her orgasm and holds her tight, drawing moan after moan from her, until she is putty in his hand. He rises on his feet, arms winding around her waist, catching her before her weak knees give up, and guides her to the bed, claims her mouth in an eager kiss, hands settling along her side as they lie down. She can still taste herself on his tongue, brings a hand to cup his cheek gently, boneless, satisfied.

But she had plans, and she wants to stick to them, because tonight was supposed to be for him, so she pushes through the afterglow and nudges at his shoulder, urges him on his back. Her hand grips his shirt and helps him out of it, before heading south and reaching for  _him_ , palming his erection through the fabric of his pants, kneading for a short while, then fumbling with the buttons until she manages to free him from it. She moves on her knees to remove his trousers and shoes, cups him again, stroking lazily, feeling him hard and hot and pulsating in her palm.

She swallows dryly. She has touched him before, many times, even during their wedding night, but she has never done what she's about to do. She wants to though, tonight, feels finally ready. He mentioned it once or twice, carefully, almost shyly, but the surprise and embarrassed hesitation upon her face had led him to offer to wait, until she was okay with it. Unlike their wedding night, this time, she had accepted the wait, had needed it. It was... too much? Certainly something she wasn't mentally prepared for, something she wasn't comfortable with, almost repulsive and certainly not attractive. But now, today, after weeks of thinking about it, she feels at ease with the idea. She wants to do it, for him, for them, because she loves him, and wants to give him that, this pleasure he brought up without ever really requesting it.

She doesn't know more than what he told her, how he described it to her, but she feels ready to try anyway, knows he'll guide her through it as he always does.

He expects her to straddle him, and when she doesn't he looks up at her, confused. He ignores that she changed her mind, it is a surprise after all, but the moment she bends forward slowly, lips parted, ready for him, he stills her with a hand on her arm, a raise of his brow.

"Regina, what are you doing?"

She smirks, ducks her head to the side, moving her thumb across the tip of him. "Whatever I want."

His eyes open in realization, and he releases her, leans back, settles on his elbows.

"Okay."

She looks down then, her hand guiding his cock to her mouth, and she parts her lips again, brushes the tip of him, opening and letting him slide into her, slowly, inch by inch. She's vaguely aware of his body falling back onto the mattress with a thud and a groan, and she stills, gets accustomed to this strange feeling, to the warmth filling her mouth, breathing steadily through her nose to center herself.

And then she starts moving.

Up and down, the way she knows, the only thing she knows, her hand following, her tongue flickering over the head buried halfway into her, and the sounds he makes give her confidence. Glancing at him, she finds him eyes closed, lips slightly parted, face scrunched up in pleasure, in a way she's rarely seen before. He's clearly enjoying this, no doubt possible. She was right to do this.

When she increases the pace, he lets out a loud hiss of her name, his fingers gripping and pulling at the sheets next to her leg as he fights to stay still, not to thrust forward.

His voice startles her, comes out raspy and breathless, his chest raising and falling at a fast speed. He guides her, just as expected, tells her what he wants, what he likes, how to do it, and she does, willingly, eagerly, revels in the moans she draws from him, in the satisfaction she finds in bringing him so much pleasure, and if she had known how rewarding this was, she would've done it sooner.

But he's pushing at her then, gently tugs her head back, and she frowns, her gaze questioning as he tries to slow his breath, tries to come back from that peak where she was leading him to. He pulls her to the bed with him, kissing her in a way he never did before, hotter, greedy, thankful, definitely aroused and in desperate need of her. He's still hard against her belly, and answers her silent question before she has a chance to voice it.

"I want to come inside you," he murmurs against her lips.

She's relieved, and smiles, follows as he helps her atop him, straddling him. She takes him in hand and guides him to her entrance, sinking down, sighing softly as he fills her completely and they become one again.

Regina rides him fast, her hands pillowed on his chest for better leverage, his on her hips, pushing up as she pushes down, meeting her halfway each time, and it grows in her belly again, that tight tension, pleasure blossoming and cursing through her with every thrust. He's closer than she is, tries to hold back for her, she can tell, and he does too, so his thumb quickly finds its way between her thighs, brushing over her clit and then rubbing in circles for a moment, leading her towards that peak faster. And then, he abandons her clit, raises on his elbows, her hands falling on the mattress on each side of his head as his mouth claims one nipple, closing his mouth around it. It doesn't take long for her to cry out, fighting to keep it as low as possible as she starts clenching around him. He keeps it up all along, eyes screw shut to keep control and delay his orgasm, until she finally reaches it.

Robin follows her in release with a relieved groan as they're still moving, still drawing pleasure from their joined bodies, until they can't anymore, until they're spent. Regina stops, eyes closed, breath still heavy as she hears him fall back onto the mattress with an appreciative moan. She leans forward, rests her forehead in his neck, feels his hands weaving in her hair, tender, soothing, as he's still buried deep into her.

"And you wanted me to go to sleep..." she teases, short of breath, feeling more than hearing his low chuckle.

"I'm really glad you decided otherwise."

Regina drops a kiss above where his heart lays, and pushes upward, hoists herself off of her husband with his help, slips under the covers and curls up against him, an arm across his chest, head pillowed on his shoulder.

"I really enjoyed my surprises tonight, the two of them." Robin tells her honestly, and she can hear the smile and love in his voice. "Thank you."

She looks up at him, hand reaching for his cheek. "You don't have to thank me. I wanted this night to be for you. I love you, Robin."

He tightens his hold on her, brings her face to his, the kiss a little sloppy, but it says everything he wants. "I love you too."

He urges her back against him then, lets her shift and settle comfortably, draws the covers up to her shoulders, his hand sliding along her spine, up and down. When she falls asleep, it's with a smile on her lips, and a body sweaty and warm, utterly spent and incredibly satisfied.

* * *

_Present_

_She closes her eyes thinking of this, of that night when she gave Robin everything, when she let go of her last barrier, what her education and shyness had prevented her from doing for so long. She remembers this moment of communion with her husband, this deep connection they felt until inside their very bodies and souls._

_She looks behind her, to the small group waiting at the other side of the clearing, and a warm although tainted by sadness smile appears on her lips. Not everyone survived, not everyone escaped the wrath of her mother's insanity, but despite everything, despite the fact that they all lost loved ones to this battle, there is no grudge between them, no hard feelings left. There were some, adding to her guilt every time, but the bonds they created over the years were stronger than any poison Cora had tried to instilled into their hearts._


	16. The most resilient heart : Chapter 8

Eight months earlier

Three weeks after the party

"Are you sure you don't want me to come? Bringing back all those supplies and taking care of Connor at the same time will be quite a challenge."

Saying that, Regina reaches to button the child's little cloak, while Amelia tugs at her own, shaking her head.

"I'll be fine. Connor needs new boots, so I have no other choice but to bring him. As for you, you have to stay here," she reasons. "The men need you to plan the next attack against the sheriff's men. And honestly, I think Robin prefers to have you here at the camp than out there in the open. I know he wasn't thrilled last time you and I went to Rotherhamer. It's getting dangerous out there, you saw the increasing amount of guards. Plus, I don't want to have to deal with your overprotective husband." Amelia smiles, winking at her friend, holding her hand for her son and leading him out of their tent. "Robin can be very scary when it comes to you."

Regina sighs, shrugging, "Maybe, but aside from the few thefts we've accomplished, I've barely left the camp. It's been more than three weeks since we went to the village, and it's the last time I got out for something else than hunting or bathing. I honestly am becoming crazy. I need action, I'm getting bored."

"Coming to Rotherhamer to get food and healing supplies won't bring you much action, unlike what you and the men are supposed to do today," Amelia reminds with a raised eyebrow, making Regina chuckle.

"True."

"But I will miss walking there with you, I can count on one hand the number of times you didn't come." Amelia says, thoughtful, exchanging a caring glance with her friend.

In old times, in good ones, they used to make this trip twice or three times a month, sometimes even once week, but now the attacks are still aiming smaller targets, and the lack of income is forcing them to restrain their expenses to the minimum.

Although two days ago, after hearing of a possible way to kick the sheriff, the King and the Queen in the teeth again, they decided to stop keeping a low profile and go back to their olds tricks. The tax collect happening soon, the Merry Men have to take care of this as soon as possible, explaining why Regina can't go with her friend to the village today. The target is an important one, and they'll need everyone if they want to succeed.

At the same time, she keeps trying to come up with a plan safe enough to get rid of her mother, eventually her sister too, without endangering her life or the ones of her friends. She has not seen or heard from the Blue Fairy nor Tinkerbell since they gave her the bean, but despite her courage and bravery, her determination to stand up to Cora, she slowly begins to see the situation as a dead end. What they're doing is helping, sure, by giving people money and defending them. But how long will they keep this up? How long will they survive? It's been months since the fairies' last visit and Cora has gained more ground than her daughter.

Blue's warning is still fresh in Regina's mind. She knows she only has one chance. She knows if she fails, the consequences will be devastating. So she's waiting for an opened window, an opportunity, a change of situation to happen. Until she finds a way to get to her mother.

"Don't say that, or I might try to sneak out and join you anyway!" Regina challenges, stopping in front of the camp's exit and hugging her friend tightly.

She could definitely use the few hours of pure friendship and lightness of mind she feels every time the two women find themselves alone. Amelia leaves the camp more often than her, but Rotherhamer is  _their_  trip, a moment just for the two of them.

"Me too, 'Gina!"

Pulling back with a grin, she crouches in front of Connor, the boy wrapping his small arms around her neck, before giving her cheek a wet and noisy kiss.

When she stands again, Little John has joined them and is kissing his wife, so his son looks up with a very enthusiastic _Papa!_  coming from his mouth.

Regina watches affectionately as her friend lifts the child from the ground easily, settling him on his hip, tickling his belly as he speaks. "I want you to be a good boy for your mommy, Connor. You listen to her."

The boy's nod is eager, and he ponders it with a tentative  _P'omise!_  before his father drops him on the ground again, addressing the blonde woman.

"You two be careful, alright?"

Regina misses Amelia's answer as she catches John's pointed gaze to his wife, a message lying underneath, but she can't make what it is exactly, so she waits for him to go back to the training field, turns to look at her friend with a question in her eyes.

"What was that about?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

"What was what?"

Regina's frown deepens, and she crosses her arms over her chest, looking at her friend as if she was trying to see right through her. "You and John. There is something different about you two, I've noticed weeks ago, but I wasn't sure. Now I am. So tell me!"

A sweet smile forms on Amelia's lips, and she shakes her head, her hand reaching for her friend's arm. "I wondered how much time it would take for you to realize." And before Regina can argue, she resumes "I'll tell you when I come back, I promise."

She leans forward to kiss her friend goodbye, waits for Regina to turn the wheel and lift the door open, and disappears with her son in the forest.

* * *

_Present_

_Regina shoves her arm into her bag again, takes a few gulps from her gourd, bites eagerly in the loaf of bread she brought, and simply braces herself for what is to come. She looks ahead one more time, to the landscape she learned to know by heart when she was little, and notices the sun is not at its highest point anymore. It must be the middle of the afternoon, she was so caught up in her story that she didn't realize. There is still so much to tell..._

" _You really have a wonderful view from here, Daniel. My father chose the right place when he buried you._ _"_ _she says absently_ _._

_Shaking her head, she re-focuses, looks back at the gray stone, takes a deep breath._

" _So Amelia left that morning with Connor, and I knew exactly, because I had made the trip several times every month over the past four years, how long it took to go back and forth between the camp and Rotherhamer. I wasn't the only one, but I knew better than anyone else which path we used to take. That's why when Little John realized his wife and child had been gone longer than usual, he came to find me._ _"_

* * *

A few hours later

She steps beside him silently, lays a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turns around, his small smile answering hers.

"How are they?" Regina asks, nodding in the priests' direction.

They've been helping with gardening, healing, cooking, since they arrived and recovered. But a crowded camp is not a quiet and isolated monastery, and she noticed that now that the grief has passed, they're not totally at ease with the noise and clinging sounds of the weapons, understand their training but loath every kind of violence, even though one of them had to resort to that and killing to save their lives.

Tuck shrugs, wiping with his hand the wooden base onto which he's cutting wood, holding the handle of the ax tightly as the sharp blade rests on the floor.

"It's hard, but they know they have no choice. Returning to the monastery so soon is out of the question. They try to help as much as they can, it keeps their minds busy so they don't have to think about the situation. But they are well aware that this is war, and they are in it."

Regina sighs, shakes her head, shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Tuck. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. They never did anything wr-"

He stops her with a hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at him, already knows what he's about to say, what everyone has told her about everything that happened, but once again the words will be meaningless, empty, shallow. She is responsible for everything somehow, even if indirectly, even though she wishes it never occurred, and no matter how people keep denying it, it will stay the truth.

"Stop, Regina," he says softly. "Stop feeling guilty. It won't help. They're alright."

Her eyes open wide as he speaks something she wasn't ready for, and it's better, not quite the truth, but not totally a lie.

"How are  _you_?" she then asks, changing the subject, because her friend is caught between two lives, two lifestyles, two beliefs. He may have decided to stay and help them fight Cora, but this is coming against his new faith, against his current training, against his brothers' convictions.

Tuck smiles weakly at her, ducks his head to the side, shrugs. "I'm dealing with it. They understand. They don't judge, they forgive. It might take  _me_  time to get over it once everything is over, but I'm alright."

She acknowledges his answer with a firm nod, raises a hand to clutch at his shoulder, squeezes just enough so he understands that she's offering her help if needed. He blinks, once, slowly, as he nods, covers her hand with his and releases. Regina steps back, starts walking her way to the training field for the lesson she has to give a lost boy, when she's interrupted by a call of her name.

"Regina?"

She has barely taken one step when Little John's voice stops her in her tracks, and she feels Tuck standing right behind her as she waits for her friend to join them.

"Have you seen Amelia and Connor? They were supposed to be back a while ago."

Regina's brow furrows in question and concern, and she looks around, although she doesn't have a full view of the camp. She digs far into her memory, but she does not recall seeing her friend coming back from the village. She silently questions Tuck, but he shakes his head, and when she meets John's worried look again, they don't need words to understand that something has gone wrong.

"Which road do you take when you go to Rotherhamer?"

They start heading for the enclosure as they speak, Tuck walking away quickly to warn Robin and a few other men, making sure on his way that no one else has seen the woman and the child.

"The one by the crest hill. We follow the main road until it faces the border of Leopo... my mother's kindgom," she corrects with a gulp. "That's where we go to the left before crossing the border, further into the forest, away from sight."

Regina grabs her saddle, carries it to Rocinante, who already starts to jump at the idea of stretching his legs and getting out of the enclosure. The minute she settles the leather seat onto the horse's back, a hand covers hers firmly. Turning around, Regina meets Robin's determined gaze, and she knows exactly what he's about to say.

John has been too busy saddling his own horse, too anxious and afraid to realize she planned on coming along with them, so he didn't say anything, didn't stop her, but  _of course_ , Robin would!

Regina huffs a breath, removes her hand from underneath his own, grabbing the reins but he circles her wrist, steps between the horse and his wife.

"You're not coming."

"Rob-"

"You stay at the camp, Regina." he cuts her firmly.

"Why?"

"Because I say so."

His voice is not calling for an argument, but she isn't the type to step back, especially not in front of him, so she challenges. "And how exactly do you plan on keeping me here?"

He sighs deeply, and she feels the looks of several of their friends upon them, upon  _herself_ , but she keeps her chin up.

"We've discussed it already, Regina. I know you don't want to hide, but jumping into the lion's den is not the best idea."

"That's not what I'm doing! I was supposed to be with them, Robin. I should have been with Amelia and Connor this morning. There is no difference for me to go now."

"On the contrary. We don't know what happened. It could be a trap."

"Robin," she sighs, almost pleading. "Amelia is missing and  _I_  am the one who used to walk with her there. Hell, we even went to Rotherhamer a month ago!  _I_  know the road better than any of you."

"Maybe," Robin concedes. "But it doesn't change anything, we don't know where she is and Rotherhamer is crawling with guards now."

The men started to move again around them, they know by experience that their arguments can last a while, and no one wishes to be caught in the middle, so they're getting ready in silence.

"So you're telling me it's so much safer for  _you_ ," she bites before continuing,"when  _your_  face is plastered on the village's walls just next to  _mine_?"

"Regina-"

"No!" she cuts. "Don't ' _Regina_ -me! This is not fair, Robin, and you know that!"

At this point, they are alone in the enclosure, the others already waiting for Robin at the gate, so he removes the saddle from Rocinante's back quickly, grabs the reins of his own horse that Arthur readied for him moments before, and starts walking away slowly, looking at his wife as he says each word.

"It's not, but this is my decision. You do not leave this camp, Regina! And if I find you there, I will bring you back here myself. Period."

When he has passed the door, she's still fuming, looking over to where he was with a clenched jaw and fists, but for a reason she ignores, she does not try to follow him.

xxx

She waits for hours. Well, hours, or minutes, actually, she lost track of time a while ago.

Regina cancelled her lesson with all her students, including Matthew, because of her inability to focus. She skipped lunch. She dismissed everyone who tried to talk to her, aside from her father, even if he couldn't do much more than hold her hand and wait. She shut herself in anxiety and anger, biting her fingernails while waiting for her friends to return with Amelia and Connor safe and sound. She spent a long while taking care of Rocinante, trying to forget her fear for her friends and her bitterness towards her husband for keeping her here.

He accepted her choice to keep going out despite the threats hanging upon her head, because he knew she was careful. So really, the reason he changed his mind and suddenly decided to treat her like a child is beyond her understanding. The safety of her friends is more important than hers right now.

Waiting patiently during a tricky situation has never been her forte. It's torture. All the scenarios are rambling in her mind, one after the other.

Amelia and Connor falling down the low hill and breaking their neck.

Amelia and Connor being robbed and ending up dead on the pavement.

Amelia and Connor being attacked by wild animals.

Amelia and Connor captured by the sheriff.

Amelia and Connor...

Regina shakes the thoughts aside. She shouldn't be that morbid. She shouldn't focus on that, there is enough death in her life already.

But when she's not thinking of it, the constant dread that has been her companion since her mother first attacked her and Robin comes back. As insane as it seems, Cora might have nothing to do with the woman's disappearance. How would she even know about their existence? Why would she care about a random child and his mother?

A sordid thought makes its way into Regina's mind, the possibility that Cora learned about the closeness between the three, that she reproduced what happened at the monastery, that she did what she's been doing for weeks now, attacking every person she was informed were helping the Merry Men in any way, letting nothing but dead corpses and misery behind. But Regina dismisses the idea. This is just the resentment and fear talking, her mind is too overwhelmed right now to think clearly.

The camp's door opens, pulling her out of her reverie, and her head snaps up, hopeful, but as  _he_  spots her and walks her way, she can't help the disappointment to show on her face. And given by his wary look, he noticed.

"Is everything alright?" the huntsman asks, stopping in front of her, noticing the sad face of Henry not far behind.

Regina shakes her head, rises to her feet to face him fully, despite the tremble of her legs.

"Amelia and Connor are missing," she confesses.

He's no man of emotion, his mask so thick she usually has trouble reading through it, but she honestly can assure that right now, she sees concern and worry flickering in his eyes.

"I think you'd be looking for them. What are you doing here?"

His genuine surprise as he asks the question only reinforces Regina's feeling that Robin is being unfair with all this.

"Well,  _my dear husband_  decided I was under no circumstances to go outside the camp. He thinks it's too dangerous, especially since they went to Rotherhamer and it's apparently full of soldiers."

The man tilts his head to the side, wincing, and oh, she won't like that answer...

"I think he's right, Regina." She scowls deeply, her eyes narrowing and her mouth forming a thin line, but he's not unsettled by her. "I went there recently, and your face is on every wall now. The amount of warrants looking for  _you_  has  _tripled_  recently, your face is all over the Enchanted Forest."

"Are you telling me that Robin's isn't?" she challenges coldly.

He shrugs, holds her look. "It is, but it's different. It has been for years, people don't even pay attention to it anymore. Despite everything, the number of warrants about him haven't changed with your mother taking power, beside the reward's amount. Now,  _you_  are the main target, Regina. Not him. And Robin is right. Recently there's been more guards in town. Maybe they know you're used to going there, and they're waiting for you."

She falls on the log with a desperate sigh, covers her face with her hands, elbows on her thighs to support herself. He silently takes place next to her, the warmth of his hand settling between her shoulderblades.

"Do you want me to stay with you, or do you prefer for me to join them in their searches?"

She leans back in his touch, sucks on a shaky breath, then rests her head on his shoulder, letting his arm wrap around her.

"Half the camp is looking for them, and I need a friend. Please, stay."

* * *

_Present_

" _Oh Daniel, never before had I experienced a feeling like this! Or more exactly, a myriad of feelings. I was... shaking, with anxiety, with fear. With the actual context outside the camp, and the fact that something like this never happened to us,_ _to_ me _,_ _"_ _Regina corrects, because her disappearance probably had the same effect on her friends._ _"_ _The wait was almost unbearable. Being stuck there, unable to help, and knowing that Robin was the reason I couldn't get out while he was outside, putting his life in danger every minute, only made things worse. I had no idea of what was going on._

_The huntsman tried to help me as much as he could, though he wasn't much of a talker. But he gave me some news from the farm, and anyway just his presence helped, worked easing my anger. A little bit like Tuck, he had the ability to calm me just with a warm hand and soft look. My father was there too. He didn't say much either, because I couldn't bear his vain attempt to convince me everyone was alright, nor could I hear him agree with my husband's decision of keeping me at the camp._

_And finally, when the sun was already low in the sky and the day almost dark, they came back. Needless to say I was the first one to the gate waiting the minute we were warned of their arrival._ _"_

* * *

Hours later

She's twisting her fingers and biting her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other while Much is opening the door.

And here they are.

She watches the faces of her friends, willingly ignores her husband's, holding her breath until she sees  _him_. A bunch of clothes in his father's arms. Regina is by John's side an instant later, restraining herself from reaching for the little boy.

"What happened?" she asks warily, noticing Little John's serious face. He's opening his mouth to speak, but Connor turns his head to look at her the moment he hears her voice, cutting off his father.

"Gina!" he exclaims, extending his arms for her to take him, almost jumping from John's hold, and Regina catches him at the last second. She brings him to her, surrounds his little body with her arms, lets him wrap his small legs and arms around her, closes her eyes as she buries her face in the boy's neck and blonde curls, breathing him in, sighing softly in relief.

Her friend gives her a few moments with his son, the men gathering around them, watching the reunion, the kiss she presses to Connor's temple, her hand rubbing his back, how she settles him on her hip to have a better view of the search party, obviously looking for someone else.

"Where is Amelia?"

Her voice is full of dread and slightly trembling at the end, because the woman is clearly not here, neither alive nor dead, and it can't be good.

"We... We couldn't find her." Little John confesses, worry invading his brown eyes.

"What do you mean you couldn't find her?" she asks forcefully.

Alan takes a step forward, explains what they know.

xxx

Four hours earlier

"Are you sure you saw her leave your shop with her son, both safe?"

The merchant nods again, sure of himself, repeats another time that Amelia and Connor left his place safe and sound around mid-morning.

"Alright. Thank you again, Elijah."

Alan follows John and Arthur outside, where they are met by Robin, Dean and Eric, the rest of the men coming to join them.

"Any luck?" Robin asks, and Little John shakes his head before speaking.

"He said she bought a pair of boots for Connor, like planned, but he assures he saw them leave unharmed. We've known Elijah for years, he has no reason to lie."

"It's the same everywhere we went." Eric says. "The people who met them this morning remember them leaving town around ten, as usual."

"Then we must have missed something on the path. We searched the whole town, went to every shop, asked everyone. They all agree to say that when Amelia and Connor left, they were fine. We need to take a more attentive look at the road." John insists with a strong voice, although he's not luring anyone, the dread and anguish in his tone are evident. Especially when he catches the sight of soldiers not far from them. He reflexively glances at Robin, who pulled his hood up just in case, but the guards don't seem to have noticed them.

They've been searching for hours, and still nothing. They didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, and yet something must have happened for Amelia and Connor to vanish in the air without a trace. All the people they know here have the same speech. The woman and her child arrived and shopped as it is Amelia's habit, headed back at the same hour as they're used to, a bag full of supplies in her hand, Connor's new boots on his feet.

But the men didn't see anything on their way to Rotherhamer.

No bag.

No child's boots.

None of the things Amelia was supposed to bring back. And at the same time, if it had been lost somewhere on the road, it's very likely that people in need of everything took the free supplies for themselves, erasing clues about their disappearance. After all, they've been missing for hours now.

The Merry Men mount their horses, give a last glance to the village, and start riding slowly in the forest's direction, not ready to give up. They haven't inspected the forest thoroughly, there has to be a trace of them somewhere.

Once in cover and away from the soldiers' sight, the group spreads in teams of two or three, inspects every bush, looks into every dead tree trunk, calls Amelia and Connor's names again and again and again until they echo in their heads without no one actually pronouncing them.

There is nothing. Nothing helpful.

There are some traces, some leads, yes, broken branches along the road, but a lot of people go through that path, they already met and questioned a fair amount of them and it didn't lead anywhere.

They're not quite halfway back to the camp, searching in silence now, when Arthur notices it, while following footprints of what could be a child around Connor's age running into the forest. A slight ruffle of leaves. A soft breath, or maybe a sniffle? The man stills, holds a hand up to beckon for Alan to do the same, and listens, observes. They're far from the main road, but it might be something.

_There_!

He points the thick bush from where the noise -a sniffle, he's sure now, is coming, and walks carefully towards it with Alan, each getting around one side.

"Connor!"

Hearing his name, the boy looks up from the ground, immediately lifted and tucked in Alan's arms, the man wiping Connor's face, wet from his tears and dirty from the dirt, with his sleeve.

"What are you doing here, buddy? Where is your mom?"

"Don't know," Connor shrugs, sniffling again, clutching to Alan's neck, trembling from head to toe, his skin cold.

Alerted by Arthur, his father arrives a second later, running. Connor jumps in his arms, a cry of relief coming from both father and son as John does not even fight the tears from spilling freely on his cheeks. He doesn't release his son right away, squeezes him tight against his chest, cradles his face, kisses his forehead, his nose and rubs the child's back soothingly, evening his own breathing, reassuring them  _both_.

Little John checks him for any injuries, but aside from being completely terrorized and freezing, he seems physically unharmed.

"What happened, Connor?" he says gently. "Why are you here alone? Where is your mommy?"

Connor hugs him again, and John doesn't insist, gives him time, he's just a child, and he probably spent the whole day here by himself. He's used to the woods, but not alone, he's too young, still fears the monsters under his bed and the darkness of a night with no moon.

"I don't know." Connor repeats. "She say to hide. She say she come find me, but I didn't see her. I stay hidden, daddy. I listen to mommy," he finishes, in his much too young voice.

He tries to be brave, as a boy his age often is, but John knows his son, his small courage. He knows that if Connor is that scared, it's that he must have seen or heard something, that whatever happened  _isn't_ good. He might not realize it's important, but if he finds the right questions, maybe his son will give him the answers he seeks.

Little John settles on a fallen log with the boy on his lap, wrapping him in his own cloak and pressing him against his side, helping him drink from his gourd, and then locking their eyes, focusing the child's attention on him and not the countless men around them. He picks his words with care.

"Connor, this is very important. Do you know why your mommy asked you to hide?"

The frown on Connor's face could have been considered adorable if happening under other circumstances, but right now it's only increasing John's fear as he watches his beautiful baby search into his memories the reason for his mother's disappearance.

"She say to stay quiet," Connor states. "She keep looking behind. She hurt my hand when she pull me on the side of road."

Little John lifts his gaze to his friends, taking from his son's words the same information as them. Amelia may not be a Merry Men, but every woman living in the camp has been trained to recognize danger.

They were being followed, which means they were being targeted. As to know if it was random or specific, and who is behind it, will be more difficult to know from the mouth of a child.

Robin crouches in front of Connor, drawing the boy's sheepish look to him, giving him his most reassuring smile "After she told you to go hide, have you seen someone else besides your mother, Connor?"

Again that frown, but this time he shakes his head.

But before Robin can ask another question, Connor adds "But I hear noise. They shouted. And mommy too."

"Do you remember what they were saying?" Robin asks hopefully.

Connor scrunches his nose in concentration, starts shaking his head no but stops, the breaths of everyone around catching when he looks up. "They say mommy has to go with them."

A look passes between John and Robin. This is definitely not good.

"Do you know why, Connor?" Little John asks his son.

This time, the boy's shake of a head is firm, and he leans against his father's chest, lets out with a shyness he usually doesn't have, "Daddy, I'm hungry."

Getting up from his spot and looking at the sky and quickly falling night, John adjusts his hold on his son, speaking gently to him. "We're going back to the camp, my boy. Let's fill this belly."

The message to his friends is clear. It's too late in the day, and Connor needs him. Amelia wouldn't want her son to be put aside for her. So tonight, Little John is bringing Connor back home with him. He will make him eat, will clean him up, reassure him and then tuck him in for the night.

And tomorrow, he will continue the search for his wife, will interrogate every man and woman he meets if necessary, until he  _finds her_.

xxx

Vanda hands Regina a bowl of steaming soup and a piece of bread. Grabbing a carafe of water on her way to the table, Regina can't help but notice as her hands are still trembling with nerves and anxiety, has to focus not to let everything Vanda gave her fall from her hold. She sets everything in front of Connor, who has clearly taken a bath, no matter how quick, and is playing with his wooden horse, oblivious of the tension around him, the atmosphere, the lack of laugh and talk. He's in his father's arms, on his lap, and a smile lights up his face as he focuses on his game. Regina takes place next to Little John, gives all her attention to the very hungry child, talks with him as his father helps him eat, all the while ignoring the glances Robin keeps sending her.

She knows he noticed her coldness towards him, the distance, the glares, but right now is not the moment to deal with that. Right now is for Connor, to make him forget the day he spent waiting alone in the forest.

And they must be doing a wonderful job, because he raises shining eyes to look at both his father and Regina, when he asks "Daddy?"

"What is it, son?"

"Why mommy not here?"

The small talk in the group suddenly stops, the realization that whilst they were doing a good job at keeping him busy and hiding their concern from him, the young boy clearly came back to reality and noticed something was different. They stay quiet for a few seconds, like time has been frozen, all mouths open and eyes confused, not panicking but on the verge of it, gaze flickering quickly from one person to the other.

No one knows what to tell the kid, even Regina, who simply swallows and eyes the duo with guilty and pained eyes. John takes a deep breath, turning his son slightly in his arms so he can look at him while he speaks.

"Connor, your mother... she's... she had to leave for a few days. Do you remember what happened today?" At the boy's nod, Little John continues, and even though he knows his explanation to be a lie, he decides that Connor doesn't have to know the truth. "She had some errands to take care of with the people she met while you were hiding. That's why she had to go."

"But it look as a fight," the boy argues hesitantly.

"I know, my boy. They had a misunderstanding. That's why your mommy left with them. To settle things up."

"We can go see her?"

John bites his bottom lip, crossing his gaze with Regina, and she gets the message, cups the boy's chin so he's looking at her, giving his father a break.

"No, we can't, Connor. You are staying here with us, until your mommy comes back, okay?"

Shrugging sadly, Connor looks back into his bowl, pouting, disappointed this time. "Okay."

xxx

Regina kisses the boy's forehead, even though he's already asleep, murmurs in his hair that she loves him, and watches Little John disappear with him inside his tent.

She's still deep in thought when  _his_  hand lands on her arm, startling her. She raises an eyebrow in question, in expectation, so he knows she's waiting for him, for whatever he's about to say.

"Care to tell me why you've been so distant tonight?"

She walks away from the remaining group of men at the tables, leading him out of ear shot, although not out of sight, but it's not as if they have a lot of privacy anyway.

"Regina?" Robin asks again.

"What?" she bites, giving him a narrowed look. "Do you honestly pretend you don't know?"

"Wait!" He pauses, disbelief piercing in his voice on the next question "Are you seriously mad at me because I asked you to stay here?"

Regina scoffs, looks away for a second, pinches her nose, and huffs a breath in annoyance. " _Ordered_ , would be more like it." she mumbles.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe." he argues.

"And I don't need your protection! I can take care of myself, and I want to take part in the searches."

"You're being unreasonable. Why can't you understand it's dangerous for you to be out there?"

"Because my best friend is missing!" She shouts. "So I'm coming, Robin. Whether you agree or not, I'm going to look for her tomorrow and every day after that until we find her."

Regina starts taking a step towards their tent and away from him, saying the last words over her shoulder, but his reply makes her freeze on spot.

"Regina, stop acting like a child!"

She swirls around, her eyes shooting daggers at him, fighting to keep her voice down. "Then stop treating me like one!"

"I told you, I don't want you to-"

"There is no point in discussing this. This is going nowhere." She dismisses him with an annoyed wave of her hand, turns on her heels and walks away, leaving him standing there, agape, stunned.

She almost makes it to her tent before she's stopped by her friend, by Eric's voice, and she pauses, waits for him, slowing her ragging breath and calming her storm temper.

"Can I talk to you?" he asks softly.

She gives him a firm nod, gestures for the log a little bit further, sits next to him and watches him as he swallow dryly, so she guesses she might not like this conversation. Her friends know her, her bad temper, they are used to it, but they can't help dreading speaking with her when she's in  _that_  mood, especially when they won't go her way.

"Spill it out!" She sighs, raising a pointed eyebrow when he frowns, as if to say  _I know you're not on my side with this, so you better get rid of it now while I'm willing to listen_.

He shakes his head as a low and small chuckle escapes him, eyeing her with amusement.

"Am I that easy to read?" he teases, and it's meant to lighten the mood, works, because the tip of her mouth curls, and she smirks, snickers even.

"Kind of. For me at least." She bumps her shoulder into his playfully, forgetting for a second that her best friend is still missing. But only for one second, because the expression on Eric's face grows serious on his next breath.

"Look, Regina. Don't be too hard on Robin. He's just trying to-"

" _Protect me_ , I know!" She cuts him with annoyance, rolling her eyes. "But he's only making things worse. I haven't spent so much time locked inside the camp in  _years_. I used to be out almost everyday, go to Ruth's, on a robbery, with Amelia to buy supplies several times a month..." She trails off, sadness overtaking her anger. "I know we had things to plan in here, but if I had gone with her today, maybe she would-"

Eric cuts her by grabbing her hand, squeezing firmly to get her attention. "It wouldn't have changed anything, Regina."

"You don't know that," she argues, but the conviction isn't there.

"Maybe not, but whatever happened would have still happened whether you were there or not."

"I could have protected her."

"Or suffer the same treatment, maybe even get killed in the process."

"Since when do you consider me not able to defend myself?" She frowns, almost pulling her hand back. "Do I have to remind you that I have no problem sending you to the ground every time we fight?"

The hurt and bitterness in her voice are clear, so Eric shakes his head, ignores her harsh words towards him, his hold on her tighter, searching for the right thing to say.

"Believe me, my back certainly remembers." He winks, but she doesn't take the bait this time, instead looks at him doubtfully. His shoulders sag when he realizes she's only waiting for him to continue, so he does, carefully. "I'm just saying that this isn't on you. And we don't know what happened except what Connor told us, and it's not clear.  _But_ ," he adds pointedly before continuing, "it doesn't change the fact that none of us want to see you put yourself in danger. Even we have to be careful, and our faces are anonymous for most. The guards really are numerous, we could be caught immediately if one of them asked to search us for any kind of weapons." Regina starts to argue but Eric doesn't give her the chance. "And John told me to ask you to take care of Connor while we keep looking for Amelia."

The sentence has the effect he expected, Regina stops instantly, mouth open, clearly not expecting this. She's silent then, processes the information, probably checking pros and cons, but she must decide Connor wins the fight against his mother because she closes her mouth, then her eyes, sighs heavily, and finally gives him a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

"Alright," she conceded.

Eric knows how difficult the decision must have been, because she loves both Amelia and Connor, and having to choose between them was certainly not easy. He lifts a hand to brush her hair away from her face, winding an arm around her shoulders to bring her close as he kisses her temple. She leans in, gives in, turns to face him and wraps her own arms around his shoulder and back, resting her face on his neck.

She takes from him the comfort she's too hurt to take from her husband, and it's not the same, by far, but it's something, it's helping.

"I'm scared, Eric. I'm scared that I will never see her again," Regina murmurs, her voice cracking and eyes welling up with tears.

"I know. But we will find her." Eric assures, pulling back and holding her firmly by her shoulders. "That's why you need to take care of her son until she's back. That's what John wants, and that's what she would want too."

A tear escapes her eye when she nods her agreement, and she breathes shakily, wipes it with the back of her hand.

"Try to get some sleep." Eric reasons, tilting her chin up. "You're gonna need it tomorrow if you have to look after Connor all day by yourself."

She chuckles weakly on a strangled sob, a ghost of a smile on her lips, before leaning forward, kissing her friend's cheek. "Thank you." Regina murmurs when she recedes, and he squeezes her shoulder.

"No need. Go!" he urges, nodding in her tent's direction.

She does, changes her clothes into something more comfortable for the night, washes her face with some fresh water, and slips under the covers.

She's hovering somewhere above sleep when she hears the low ruffling of the tent's opening, feels the shadow of her husband cast over her, but she doesn't move. She is on her side, her back to him, covers up to her shoulder, and she listens to the sound of his breath and movements as he gets ready for bed in silence. The mattress dips behind her, and he seems to hesitate, waits for a moment before finally reaching for her, his hand winding around her waist as he presses a kiss to the side of her face.

"Goodnight, my lo-"

He stops the moment he feels her stiffen, the moment he touches her, actually, and she jerks forward reflexively. It's small, a tiny movement of her body, but he notices, freezes and sighs, pulling back.

A pang of hurt hits her chest at the idea that she pained him, but well, he started all of this, thought that marrying her gave him the right to make decisions without consideration for her opinion.

Regina tugs the covers to her chin, presses her face into the pillow, and tries to ignore the fact that she's missing the warmth of his body, the scent of his skin, that he's only inches away and it'd be so easy to just turn around and reach for him. Instead, determined and frustrated, she bites her tongue, and fists the pillow, trying to clear her mind from the storm of feelings rushing in her head.


	17. The most resilient heart : Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two triggers are at the bottom of this page, for those who don't want to be spoiled. Check them before if you do want to be warned ;-)

Less than eight months earlier

A week after Amelia's disappearance

Regina wakes up early, per usual. Since Connor is an early riser, she needs to get ready before he awakes. She doesn't even glance at her husband when he stirs next to her -she's becoming very good at ignoring him lately, hasn't changed her mind about his behavior, since he still sticks to his position.

She gets up, stumbles sleepily out of bed until she reaches the dresser into which they keep their clothes, grabs warm pants and a shirt, a large clean large towel and the mix of herbs, flowers and resin she uses to wash herself with. It's not as easy to handle as the products she was used to as a child, but it's homemade, and it smells like forest, like pine cones and thick grass after a rainfall.

She knows Robin is watching her as she moves quickly in the tent, gathering what she needs. She knows he fights to keep silent, not to speak what he has in mind, tell her she'll have to talk to him at some point, but she's not ready to let her anger waver yet. She's still too frightened about Amelia to even consider thinking of her own marriage. And if she's being totally honest -even though that's not something she's willing to admit for now, being angry at Robin focuses her energy on something else than the permanent twist of her guts telling her everyday that there are less and less chances to find her best friend unharmed.

Regina throws her cloak over her shoulders and walks outside the tent, gets out of the camp and heads slowly to the river.

The temperature is cold outside, the water must be freezing, but she doesn't mind, she's used to it now, and anyway, her body is already full of the constant fear and dread, there's not much room left for anything else.

She removes her clothes, immerses herself in the water, shivering slightly at the temperature that seizes her like icy spikes, but her body is quick to adjust, and she moves further away from the shore, until the water is just beneath her chin. She closes her eyes then, leans her head back to wet all her hair, washes her face with a handful of water, and stays still for a moment. Her eyes still shut, Regina lowers herself into the water until the sounds of life are muffled, and breathes deeply.

She's almost tempted to give into the lightness she feels here, or more likely all the other things she doesn't feel now that her body is completely numb. Here, relieved from the anguish weighting on her chest, she doesn't realize she's sinking slowly, doesn't realize she's giving into it, her knees bending under her until the water swallows her all, holding her breath instinctively. It's a world of peace down here, quiet and safe, and her mind is finally free, finally light, relieved of all the pressure, the stress, the anxiety. She's tired of not knowing, exhausted by all the conflicts, by the constant fear seizing her every time she thinks of the outside.

So she lets go, lets the water carry her heavy body, lets her limbs get limp and float, forgets that Amelia is still missing, that the Merry Men searched for her in every town, every house and cell of the kingdom they have access to, aside from King Georges and Cora's dungeons, but this fact is not at all easing their minds, the possibility that Amelia might be there. For a moment Regina is flying, and her mind is blank of all the worries she's dealing with every day.

But only for a moment...

She's shaken by a strong force that startles her, and she cracks her eyes open suddenly, instinctively takes a deep breath, but she's not met by air. Instead, she swallows water, and panic invades her. She's kicking arms and legs against whatever is holding her firmly, grips something at her waist, pushes and digs her nails into it until without a warning a wave of icy air enters her throat, burning, and she's coughing, and coughing, and failing to catch her breath, because everything awakens at once, the numbness giving way to pain, pain in her throat, her lungs, her head, everywhere. Everything aches and a wave of dizziness hits her, her glassy eyes desperately trying to make sense of the world around her.

The presence behind her is still there, still firm, bringing her backwards towards the shore, and she can't fight it, doesn't have any more strength left as she keeps struggling to breathe, keeps spitting water through her mouth and nose, one hand half wrapped around her throat, half flat against her sternum in a desperate attempt to ease the burning in her chest.

"Are you insane?"

Regina almost jumps at the voice, recovers her spirit quickly once she realizes what happened, what almost happened. She turns around in one unsteady but fast movement, manages to shrug his arm away in the process.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina yells, her voice raspy and rough as she's still coughing between words.

"Apparently stopping you from doing something  _very_  stupid," Robin bites, and it's only then that she realizes he's fully clothed, probably jumped into the water when he didn't see her emerging.

"Something stupid?" She asks dubiously, before understanding. "You thought I was going to kill myself?" She questions with wide eyes, in a way that makes it clear how absurd the idea itself is.

He gives her a glare, his voice cold and full of reproach on the next phrase. "It certainly looked like it."

She shakes her head, a bitter chuckle escaping her parted lips. "You don't know me very well then. This is stupid, I would never-"

"And how would I know, Regina?" Robin cuts her forcefully, angrily. "You haven't talked to me in  _days_. Your best friend is missing, we are powerless to find her, you shut me out and when I seek you out to talk I find you sinking under water, and apparently not in a hurry to come back to the surface."

She doesn't know what to answer to that, is surprised by a cold and sudden breeze and hugs herself tightly, shivering, teeth clenching for a second. She's half out of the river now, and the difference of temperature is seizing. Robin notices, takes a step forward, but she takes one back, and he gives her a look, one that says  _Don't be stubborn!_ But she glares at him, keeping him at bay.

"I was trying to..." ' _Forget ? Stop thinking? Remove all the horrible thoughts I keep having about my best friend being captive somewhere unknown?'_  But she's not willing to tell him that. "It never was my intention to drown." Regina says flatly as she walks her way to the shore, avoiding him. "Though  _you_  almost made me drown. Everything was okay until you stepped in." She scoffs as she grabs the towel she let on a rock and wraps herself in it.

"I was worried!" Robin insists.

"And I'm fine!" she almost cuts.

When she feels him freeze behind her, she knows how poor her choice of words was. She doesn't have to look at him to know he must be scowling deeply, arms probably crossed over his chest the way he does when she's pissing him off.

"So we're back to this?"

"To what?" She still has her back to him, ties her damp hair in a loose bun before bending to grab her clothes -so much for a real bath, she has to reschedule it for tonight.

"You not talking to me and pretending you're not hurting. I thought we were pass this."

Her answer is a perfect silence, long enough for him to understand she won't give him more. He walks his way out of the water, stops behind her, his hand inches from her, almost touching her.

"Regina..." he pleads.

"Don't!" she warns, jerking forward even though he didn't make contact.

His sigh is deep and hurt, but resigned, annoyed too, and he steps back, retreats into the forest slowly.

"I'm going with the men to continue looking for her. I hope you'll be more reasonable tonight."

* * *

_Present_

" _I wasn't_ _"_ _Regina admits with a sheepish shrug._ _"_ _When Robin came back that night, and Amelia was still missing, my anger hadn't faded, and I refused to talk to him. He was frustrated. Tuck and Alan tried to talk me through, to try and get me to be reasonable,_ _"_ _she says, rolling her eyes before continuing,_ _"_ _but I didn't need reasoning. I knew why I was mad at Robin, I almost needed it. Directing my anger against someone helped me not bgeteing overwhelmed by my fears._

_It went on like that. I kept taking care of Connor during the day, used his nap times to practice or give archery lessons to a few of my students, and once he was in bed at night, I was either staying with my friends and ignoring my husband, or I going to sleep early. I was exhausted, but I had to hold on. I had to, because wherever Amelia was, I knew she was counting on me to make sure her son was taken care of. Until her return..._ _"_

_Regina pauses, looks down, then up, swallowing hard, sniffling once, twice, wiping away a couple of tears that made their way out, and then casts her gaze down to the grave again._

" _It was so hard, Daniel. The days, the weeks of nonstop searching. The empty hands and countless unanswered questions by the end of every day. The long waits._

_I kept my word until the end, took care of Connor while we were waiting for his mother to come back to us. He didn't know the reality of things, didn't know Amelia was missing, didn't know we were worried to death. I made it my sworn duty to keep his mind busy enough so he wouldn't realize what was happening, but the sadness and change in his father's behavior were hard to miss, even for a little boy, and his questions harder to avoid for us. Until one day, we finally got our answers. One day, we finally discovered what had happened to Amelia._ _"_

_She shakes her head, breathes shakily._

" _Even now, I think it was one of the worse days of my life._ _"_

* * *

A week later

It's been two weeks since Amelia disappeared, and still no sign of her.

Two weeks since Robin forbid Regina to leave the camp, and she still refuses to talk to him.

Two weeks since they started searching for her, and Little John is losing hope a bit more every day, and Connor is asking for his mother more often now.

It's the beginning of the day, still early in the morning, but half the camp is already up; Liam, who kept watch during the night, those who are gathering their strengths before leaving in yet another search party -Little John and Robin a part of it-, a few women who rose with their husbands, feeding their children, and finally Regina and Connor.

All of them are gathered around a tasteless breakfast and an oddly cold fire, the deep silence between them only disturbed by the clinging of spoons against bowls and Connor's horse impersonations as he plays on the table next to his father.

This is exactly how it must've been when she disappeared with an arrow buried in her abdomen, Regina thinks. Just like Alan and Eric described. A cold, thick atmosphere swallowing them, preventing them from breathing, slowing down their movements, killing the mood, the children the only ones untouched by the atmosphere.

Connor is not completely oblivious to all of this, but he doesn't fully understand, doesn't fully know what's going on. Regina has to keep up with him, keep a smile on, fight the exhaustion and sadness when he wants to play hide and seek, when he runs across the camp at a fast speed, and though she never shared much more than politeness and kindness with the other women from the camp, she can't help but feel grateful when one of them offers to take care of the boy for a couple of hours or check on him during his naps.

It allows her to take a break, allows her to burn the tension boiling inside her with a good hour of archery practice or teaching, some time spent working on the new aisle they're adding to the camp, or taking care of house tasks, in John's tent or her own.

In moments like this, during breakfast, despite Regina's presence, Little John focuses on his son, tries to anyway, because he barely sees him now and it's getting harder for him too, more than anyone else. His face is strained, his shoulders tensed, his eyes red and tired, his skin pale. And despite his deep love for his child, his patience is running out.

So when Connor suddenly yelps excitedly as he makes his wooden horse jump over his bowl of porridge, splashing half of its content on the table, the man just loses it, throws the horse away and scowls his son so hard everyone around froze, the little boy's lower lip quivering as tears start to fall on his cheeks.

All those sitting at the table exchange a mix of sympathetic and sad looks, but it's from a common and silent agreement that Regina reaches for a cloth to wipe the table quickly, then scoops Connor in her arms and leaves with him, letting Alan, Tuck, Robin and Arthur to comfort their friend.

She takes the child away under everyone's gaze, but ignores them, instead goes straight for her tent, sits on her bed while rocking the crying boy snuggled in her embrace, shushing his fear, calming his sobs. She rocks him back and forth until the tears run dry and he's breathing soundly against her chest. She reaches for a handkerchief, helps him blow his nose but keeps him close, carding her fingers through his hair, pressing kisses to his forehead.

"It's alright, sweetheart. It's alright. Calm down." She comforts with a whisper.

Regina knows Connor isn't used to being yelled at so hard, neither Amelia nor John are fond of that parenting choice. Besides, he's such a sweet child that the occasions when it might have been justified were practically inexistent. But although she understands Little John's lack of patience and reasons for losing his temper, she knows as well as he probably does that Connor didn't deserve such a disproportionate reaction.  
So she keeps soothing him until he stills in her arms, cuddling so close he's almost tearing her shirt apart.

"Gina?" The child hiccups, and she looks down at him, humming softly in answer, brushing his hair away from his forehead. "Why papa angry?"

His tone is shy, his voice hesitant, and she feels him clutch to her shirt even more tightly, as if afraid he will be scolded again because he dared ask.

She doesn't want to answer.

She wants to allow this boy who's missing his mother and has a ghost for a father to believe everything will be fine again.

But she's not his mother.

She's not his parent.

She can't make the decision over Little John, can't decide whether to tell Connor the truth or not, that the chances of seeing his mother again are decreasing more and more with every passing day; and the reason for his father's attitude. Honestly, she's not even sure she wants to be the one to tell him.

So she takes a second to answer, and says in a soft voice "Your daddy has a lot on his mind, baby. It has nothing to do with you," she assures, thumb rubbing his cheek tenderly. "He's just very tired, and-"

A sudden scream startles them both, the shout of one of the men loud enough to be heard but too far to be understood. Connor grips Regina's neck, pressing his cheek against her shoulder, and she wraps her arms around his small body to hold him tight and closer when she rises from the bed, adjusts his position on her hip and steps out of the tent.

She notices a small crowd near the entrance, and then the door lifts, but the angle only allows her to catch the sight of a horse.

One of Ruth's horses.

She speeds up, unaware of the fact that she's unconsciously tugging Connor closer, until a strangled cry is heard, stopping her in her tracks. A strangled, broken, desperate sound coming from a voice she recognizes immediately, and she's torn between coming closer and staying away, the little body in her arms preventing her from moving forward.

Luckily -as if there was any luck in this- one of the women notices her dilemma, the confused but afraid look on her face, the need to go there and see for herself what happened, what is causing the sudden distress, but the fierce instinct to protect Connor from it at the same time.  
Regina releases the boy to Helena's care, tries to shush him quickly when he whimpers and protests at the separation, presses a tender kiss to his forehead, before walking through the crowd with apprehension, ignoring the sadness in everyone's eyes until she can see what's happening.

She almost falls when the scene is revealed to her.

Almost faints.

Almost collapses.

The huntsman is there, standing, in front of Regina. And at his feet, is Little John.

Little John, who is hugging tightly a body she doesn't see the face of but doesn't need to to recognize it.

_Amelia_.

Amelia's lifeless body.

Regina's mouth opens but nothing comes out. Her heart halts its beating and sinks down in her chest. Her brain unplugs. Her vision blurs. Her knees threaten to give up. Bile is rising in her throat but she's too stunned and her body too rigid to let it out.

She's vaguely conscious of bringing a hand to her mouth, but all she's aware of is the solid pressure coming from behind to catch her before she meets the ground.

And then there is a face in front of her.

Rough hands on her cheeks.

A low voice in her ears.

Regina lifts her gaze to meet her husband's, and her first reflex is to lean forward into his embrace, to let him comfort her the way he did so often not so long ago. Unfortunately, the overwhelming pain and heartbreak she feels don't allow her to forget their relationship the past few weeks, or lack thereof, the anger coming back at her and she shrugs him off, pushes at his chest with force, ending up with her hands on the ground in front of her as she falls on her knees, grasps handful of grass and dirt, squeezes, head down, eyes screw shut, jaw clenched.

She doesn't cry.

She doesn't scream.

She just... _can't react_.

Her whole body is tensed, stiff, rigid, hands closed in tight fists, muscles stretched, breath cut short. She doesn't even realize she isn't breathing until the need for air makes her dizzy, until the pounding in her head is too strong to be ignored, and she opens her eyes and lifts her gaze from the ground, allowing the air to enter her lungs again, slowly getting up to her feet, waiting for a half-beat to check her balance, before taking the few steps separating her from the huntsman.

He's eying her curiously, a mix of care and concern landing on her but she's too numb to pay attention. Her voice is strong and steady, cold, when she requests flatly, "Tell me what happened."

xxx

Two hours before

For as long he can remember, he's never been a heavy sleeper. Living in the forest can have that effect.

He awakes just before the first ray of sun pierces through the clouds, when the sky is still mostly dark, stirs, blinks, and sits on the pile of straw where he spent the night.

His wolf looks up at him almost immediately, stirs and yawns before following when the man goes to the door to drink from the gourd of fresh water Ruth always leaves hanging at the door for him before going to bed.

And then, as always, he starts his rounds.

It's a habit he took since the first day he arrived here. Checking the surroundings while everyone is still asleep. Best way to ambush people. And a perfect way to stretch his legs and wake up, the fresh icy air of the early morning wipes his face and finishes removing the last remnants of sleep.

He usually walks a 2-miles perimeter around the farm, before meeting them all for breakfast.

But not this morning.

No, this morning, he hears something.

It's small, barely audible, but he's sure, and judging by the stiffness, straight ears and acute senses of his wolf beside him, he's not wrong.

A crack.

Another one.

Footsteps, he realizes. Each one getting closer with every passing second. He doesn't know who this is, what they want, what they're doing in such a lost part of the forest, so he hides behind a tree, waits for the person to walk past him, but she doesn't.

Instead, he can almost hear the stillness of her movement, until the voice comes loud and unsure but lacking of any threat, definitely a woman's, without a doubt meant for him.

"I know you're here. Show yourself! I promise I'm coming in peace."

The huntsman hesitates, thinks twice, glances at his wolf before taking a deep breath, finally revealing himself to the intruder, his hand ready for the knife at his belt.

He had recognized the voice to be the one of a woman, but he never pictured its owner to be that... young? Pretty, even. Red hair, blue eyes, pale skin and pink lips. She has a good face on, but he can read between the lines, see under the mask, and he thinks that she might be more anxious about this meeting than he is.

"Who are you?"

She takes a step forward, a small, but determined one.

"I am..." She hesitates, but lets the truth spill free. "Zelena. Regina's sister."

His reaction is immediate. He reaches for his dagger and anchors his feet to the ground, ready to defend himself, the way she probably expected, because she holds her hands out in surrender almost immediately.

"No wait! I'm not here to fight, or to cause any problems."

"You're a witch, and you're working with the woman who is destroying this kingdom. After everything she's done to this land and to Regina, do you really expect me to believe a word you say?"

Zelena shakes her head, hands falling while she shrugs. "I guess not. But I brought something...  _someone_ ," she corrects herself before continuing, "with me. I need you to bring her back to my sister."

The huntsman straightens his spine then, relaxes just a bit, still on his guard, his wolf ready by his side, and he furrows his brows in question. "Why do you think I know where to find your sister? How did you find me?"

She shrugs sheepishly. "I have my ways. But don't worry, my mother doesn't know I'm here!" she hurries. "I won't tell her."

"Really? How am I supposed to be sure this is not a trap?"

Zelena waves her hand in circles above the floor next to her as she speaks, a green cloud appearing before vanishing, revealing a body lying still on the ground, half covered with blood.

"Because I have the answer to the enigma that has been weighting down on my sister for two weeks now."

The huntsman doesn't think when he recognizes the person Zelena just made appear, and rushes to her side, kneeling and carefully bringing a hand to her face, trying to wake her up gently, but the several cuts on her skin, ripped clothes and pallor of her face are already giving him the answer he doesn't want to accept.

"She's dead." Zelena states, confirming his dread. "When I went to take her out of my mother's dungeon, it was too late."

The man lifts his head to look up at her, feeling anger grow in him. For a moment, he wonders why, because this woman lying dead in his arms means nothing to him. But yet, he knows Regina will be devastated, and yes, he does care for Regina. More than he ever thought he would care for anyone.

"How did she end up in Cora's dungeons?"

Zelena winces, tilts her head to the side, sighing. "My mother has informers everywhere, that's how she learned about this woman-"

" _Amelia_ ," he cuts her, pronouncing the name reverently, with respect. "Her name is –was- Amelia."

Zelena pauses for a second, startled, swallowing hard, but she resumes. "One of my mother's spies discovered Amelia and my sister's friendship when he saw them buying supplies in a town. I think it was Rotherhamer." She acknowledges the huntsman's nod and keeps going. "Cora had known about it for weeks. She slowly increased the amount of guards there, in hopes that at some point Regina would stop going and her...  _Amelia,_ _"_ she corrects again before continuing, "would go without her."

"Why?" The man asks genuinely. "Why only capture Amelia? I thought your mother wanted your sister dead."

"It's more complicated than that." Zelena admits. "Cora... She doesn't want to kill Regina. She wants to make her pay, to destroy her. She wants to make my sister suffer until she breaks down, and going after the people she cares about the most is how she decided to accomplish it. Also," she continues before he has time to answer. "She's trying to find the location of the camp. And she thought that by torturing her, she could get the information and attack them directly."

Suspicion is piercing through the huntsman's blue eyes, anguish seizing him suddenly as he stares square into Zelena's blue ones. "Did she get it? The location, I mean."

Zelena lets a breeze pass, then reveals, and despite his high doubts the man cannot feel a glimpse of a lie in her answer "No. My mother used one of her most reliable friends, Guy de Gisborne, to get what she wanted. The man has no respect for human life, and I can't even begin to imagine what he did to her. But she," she nods towards Amelia's dead body, an unreadable expression in her eyes before she finishes, "Amelia, fought them until the end. She died before Cora could force her to reveal it."

"How would she have done that?"

"By taking her heart," Zelena says lowly, lowering her gaze to avoid his.

"Why didn't she do it sooner?"

Zelena's eyes lock with his then, a deep, profound sadness and disgust evident in them. "I think you don't want me to answer that question."

The huntsman ducks his head, understanding, because the only reason he can think of is an awful one. Pleasure. If the man Cora hired to torture Amelia is as cruel as Zelena seems to think, then it means he indulges in inflicting others pain, and if Cora hasn't stopped him until now...

He motions for Amelia's body. "Why did you bring her here?"

"Because I couldn't stand the screams anymore, just as seeing Gisborne come back to clean his bloody hands in front of us before sitting at our table to eat, smugly proud of himself." She looks away, thinking, biting her lower lip. "I don't  _agree_  with everything my mother does. I never wanted this. When I came here to find my family, I never expected to be caught in the middle of a war. I'm not sure I understand why my sister ran away from the opportunity to become Queen. She was blessed with everything I never had and yet she turned her back on it. But I don't think it justifies the death of so many innocent people."

Zelena pauses, her gaze wandering somewhere behind him, and the huntsman is not stupid enough to talk now, lets her reveal as much as she's willing to, because any information can help.

When Zelena talks again, it's small, barely audible, but he's certain he hears regret in her voice.

"When I finally found the courage to help Amelia, it was too late. She died just before I set her free."

"How convenient." He can't help but bite, because no matter what, another person lost their life because of this woman's inaction and she needs to understand the consequences. "That way I have no other choice but to believe you."

"I give you my word that I am being sincere." Zelena insists.

"Then do something!" He requests, getting up on his feet to be at her level. "Fight your mother! Stop reacting when it's already too late. You have magic, you could help us win this war."

Zelena's eyes water, and she steps back, looks away. "I can't." She breathes. "She's my mother."

"She's a cold-blooded murderer." He states, catching her attention. "Do you really want to become one too?"

She's pensive for a moment, looks down, staring at Amelia, thinking, the roams of her brain almost audible. He takes advantage of that moment, that second of vulnerability, and steps forward, hand held for her, palm up.

"You could make a difference, Zelena."

She stays silent, and for a second, he thinks she will accept his offer. For a second, he thinks they might get the help they need to defeat that woman who has come to be known as the Evil Queen.

But only for a second.

Because soon, Zelena takes a step back, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I could never betray her like that."

"Think about it." He says simply, sighing. "Regina is your sister. She's your family too. And she doesn't deserve what your mother is putting her through. Neither do the dozens of people she's killed."

Without giving her time to answer, without another regard, he bends, reaches for Amelia's body, adjusts it in his arms, and walks back to the farm, making sure regularly that she doesn't follow him.

And she doesn't.

It's still early, and everyone is asleep. But if he leaves now, he might get to the camp before the search party is gone.

xxx

It's only when his words sink in, after Regina realizes that she's responsible for yet another death, one of her friend's, a loved one's - _Amelia_ 's death- that muffled words reach her ears.

With the end of the huntsman's tale, part of the crowd spread in the camp, went back to their occupations, to their tent or cabin, to mourn the loss of one of them in private.

But not Regina.

Not Robin.

Not Alan.

Not Tuck.

Them, they stay. They stay in silence, standing around their friend, waiting, and Regina's head suddenly turns to Little John when she hears him speak between sobs. When she realizes he's not only crying the death of his wife. When she understands why he and Amelia have been so happy over the last days, why they were beaming and laughing and closer than usual, when she remembers the news Amelia was supposed to tell her, what she expected Regina to have deduced sooner.

"No."

It's a whisper that leaves her lips, a murmur full of realization, horror and guilt, and she's wide eyed, jaw slacking, hand covering her mouth, jelly-like legs, shaking hands, the air removed from her lungs as she steps back unsteadily, almost loses her balance.

But Little John's words are clearer now, and all the people around hear them, astonishment written on their faces with the acknowledgment of the awful truth.

It's Alan who dares say the words, dares to ask the question out loud. "Wait! Was she... Was Amelia-"

"Pregnant." Regina cuts him, her voice distant and trembling, still unable to look away from her friends on the ground. "She was pregnant."

Little John finally reacts and lifts his eyes at her words, meets Regina's, then Alan's, Robin's, and Tuck's.

"She was." He confirms between sobs. "According to her, she was around two months. We wanted to wait a few more days before telling everyone, enjoy the news in privacy for a little longer." He looks back down at his wife, wipes a strand of hair away from her peaceful face that the huntsman cleaned from blood before bringing her here. "Now it's all gone.  _They_  are gone."

Regina takes another step back, ignoring the tears falling on her cheeks, shaking her head in denial, in disbelief, in distress.  _I'm sorry_  is all she manages to say in a low shaky whisper before turning around, not paying attention to the calls of her name, passing in front of Helena, who's trying to keep a very agitated and upset Connor in her arms, almost failing when the boy catches the sight of Regina running to her tent without even glancing his way.

She wants to scream.

She wants to cry.

She wants to break every single object in front of her. Break that cocoon of love and friendship she built herself over the last years, come back in time and leave this place before being stupid enough to stay. She wants to remove herself from their existence, because without her in the picture, without this toxic mess she is, Amelia would still be alive.

Without her Little John would be expecting his second child.

Without her the King wouldn't be dead, the priests wouldn't have been slaughtered, people wouldn't be missing their hearts and being controlled by her insane mother, families wouldn't be sentenced to death for daring to help them.

Without her Snow and Connor wouldn't have lost their parents.

It's too much.

The overwhelming guilt.

The unbearable pain.

The same emotions she experienced when she faced Marian are coming back to her, this time led by grief and despair, and the sensation is back too. She can feel it running through her body, invading her, and she's tempted to give into it, to  _free it_ and release the tension building inside of her.

But, surprising herself, somehow, Regina fights it, attempts to keep control over her treacherous body. She knows what this is, recognizes it, but she doesn't want it, it's not who she is, the person Amelia fought for and protected until her last breath. Except the overwhelming amount of feelings are messing with her brain, with her ability to think, and to contain this sensation she has to let her anger and rage win for now. She suppresses the screams but grips the sheets from the bed and throws them on the floor, pillows flying across the place, wipes everything from her small bedside table, knocking it over in the process. Her dresser is opened and emptied of every piece of clothing it contains, drawers landing hard on the floor, some even breaking, but Regina doesn't care. She grabs her bow resting near the entrance and throws it across the room, takes a hold of a handful of arrows and...

Fingers close around her wrist, stopping her, and she swirls around, facing Tuck and shooting him the angriest glare she's ever managed. She tries to shrug him off, yelling at him to let her go, but he resists, succeeds in taking the arrows back from her and lets them fall on the floor, his other hand reaching for her shoulder in order to pull her to him, but she doesn't let him.

"No!" she warns.

She doesn't want to be soothed.

She doesn't want to be cuddled.

She doesn't want to hear him or anyone else say that this isn't her fault, that without her Little John might have never found the courage to ask Amelia out in the first place, that they might have never become the Merry Men, that Tuck might have never found his path.

Whether it is the truth or not, she can't handle it, can't hear those arguments, can't be considered a victim when she has -even indirectly- the blood of  _truly_  innocent people on her hands.

The blood of her  _friends_.

The blood of  _children_.

"Regina..." He pleads but she won't have it this time.

She's too far gone for him to have an effect on her now.

"Get out!"

"Regi-"

" _GET OUT!_ "

The words are so loud it resonates in her own ears, buzzing, but she doesn't care, doesn't pay attention. She just screamed at one of her closest friends in a way she never did to anyone, with a rage she didn't know she had, and she can't find it in herself to be bothered at the moment.

Even Tuck's hurt look doesn't unsettle her, and she uses his surprise to step back from his hold, hugging herself and turning her back to him, another invitation to leave.

Regina stays like that for so long, staring at the mess in front of her with watery eyes, trying to tamper down her stormy feelings, that she doesn't even realize she's now alone in her tent. By the time she does, she's calmer, her breathing even, her heartbeat regular and slow. However, her head is pounding, and she still can feel the tears brimming in her eyes, the heartbreak, the pain.

She's suffocating.

She's suffocating in this place. Not just the tent.

The  _camp_.

She  _needs_  to get away from here, and she'll be damned if she lets anyone get in her way this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS : Thoughts of suicide in the first scene/Recurring character's death later in the chapter
> 
> Sorry? You can yell at me as loud as you want, insult me or throw me rotten fruits, I'm ready! Just please, tell me what you think!


	18. The most resilient heart : Chapter 10

Seven and a half months earlier

Right after Amelia's body's been brought back dead to the camp

The camp is not quite deserted, but the few people outside their tents are too distracted to pay attention to her. She doesn't know the whereabouts of her husband, the huntsman -his wolf is here, looks up at her when she's in his view, so he must still be at the camp- and the rest of her friends, but she doesn't care, doesn't even look for them. No one will stop her from leaving this place.

She takes long strides to the enclosure, reaches for Rocinante and pats his collar, smiling weakly as he nudges her shoulder.

"Yes, beautiful, we're going out," Regina says softly. She doesn't waste time, grabs the reins and ties them around the horse's head, not bothering with a saddle before opening the enclosure and leading him outside.

It's not until she has walked almost all the way to the exit –no one is keeping watch anymore, and that's just fine with her right now- that someone calls her name.

Regina turns around slowly, meeting her father's knitted brow and pained face. She suppresses the urge to roll her eyes, because no matter how she feels right now, she's not that disrespectful, and her father has nothing to do with this situation.

"Where are you going?"

"Out." She answers matter-of-factly, as if it was obvious.

"After what just happened, you shouldn't-"

"Don't, daddy!" Regina cuts him with a wave of her hand. "Don't treat me like a child too! I'm an adult, and I'm sick of people telling me what to do."

The man takes a step forward, holding his hand for his daughter, but for the first time, she steps back, surprising both Henry and herself.

"I'm going to the farm. I don't know when I'll come back. But I can't stay here any longer." She turns to leave, but she catches herself at the last minute, moves just enough to look him in the eyes, adding, "I'll be careful, I promise."

She turns her back on him then, activates the mechanism to pull the door up, grabs Rocinante's reins, and goes through the door.

xxx

Robin has to fight to keep the tears at bay. This,  _all_  of this, the reality finally revealed to their eyes, the horrible truth of one of their own's death, in those particular circumstances, is touching him to such a level so high he's on the verge of breaking down.

He wonders why. After all, he lost a child, almost his own life, saw his wife drown into despair almost to the rock bottom. And yet, despite the sensation he experienced of actually feeling his heart break in his chest, that he thought would never fade, today he finds himself hurt so deeply that he has trouble breathing. It's not the same, not exactly, but Amelia was a friend to him, and Little John is his closest friend, and the man is just devastated right now. He's somewhat experiencing what himself went through, when he lost his unborn child and Regina gave up on living. So Robin understands what his friend is going through, and it just brings back so many painful memories in his mind.

Except this time, his wife isn't here. Or more exactly, she is, but not for him.

She's been ignoring him masterfully for two weeks, refused to talk or even touch him, avoiding his looks, dismissing their friends' attempts to reason with her. So this time, really, he's alone. He's alone, and he's facing a new grief without support. Because even when Regina was so down she could barely lift her fork to her lips to eat, at least, she was there. Even if she refused to return his tenderness, she accepted it, never broke physical contact unless unavoidable, so he still had something to cling to.

He thinks about that day again, when he thought he would lose her for good, when she was giving up the fight, when he saw her sink and be swallowed by the river. How she willingly gave herself to the water. He remembers the dread that seized him, the intense fear that made his heart beat frantically in his chest, that made him run over to her to pull her out of the there.

There was no way he was losing her.

He was nothing without her, couldn't go on without her, and he'll be damned if he lets her waste her life like this.

Robin remembers grabbing her, fighting to keep her with him as she struggled with everything she had, kicking and digging nails into his skin, but he succeeded in bringing her back to the surface.

Of course, he somehow expected her to yell at him the way she did, but hell, she had scared him to death! He's not sure if he believes her when she assured she had no intention to drown, because it must be so appealing, the possibility of letting go of this damn world, of an abusive and cruel mother, of the death of her friends, her child, of the war ragging around because of her.

But anyway, she spoke to him like he was a fool, in an almost insulting way, but at least it meant that she was alive, even if she pulled away from him even more after that event.

He misses her.

He misses her so much.

It's worse than the last time it happened, the last time they fought so hard they ended up not talking to each other for months. It's worse, because this time he needs her like he needs air to breathe, and without her his chest is squeezing so tight the pain is barely bearable .

"Robin?"

He's startled by a soft voice and a hand on his forearm, so he shakes his head, looks over to Alan.

"We should let him be alone with her." His friend nods towards Little John, bent over Amelia as she's been laid down on what is supposed to be the examination table and that will now serve to prepare her for the funeral.

Robin nods slowly, giving Little John a last sad glance, and follows Alan outside, meeting the huntsman who kindly carried the woman's body to this cabin and waited for them outside the place.

Tuck joins them almost immediately, shaking his head when Robin hopefully looks at him -he knows he went to check on Regina.

"I recommend you all to stay away from her for now, give her some space. She's..." he sighs. "She needs to pull herself together, and cool off."

So they wait, let Regina be, sit at a table and pour themselves a large glass of ale, until a figure comes their way, making Robin look up when he recognizes him.

"Henry?" Seeing the frown barring his father-in-law's forehead, Robin feels his guts twist immediately. "What is it?"

"It's Regina," Henry reveals. "She left."

xxx

Regina breathes in relief, the wonderful scent of nature invading her senses.

She was right, she needed to get out of the crowded camp. She needed to get some privacy, some alone time, to think, to clear her mind, with no one to breathe down her neck or give her hope and reassuring speeches.

And she needed to ride. Horseback riding with Rocinante always had a calming effect on her, she always found herself more inclined to talk after, except she knows this time she won't be relaxed enough to go back to the camp and face everyone.

Regina rides Rocinante fast, as fast as she can on a forest trail, until they reach the main road. It's risky, she could cross path with anyone at this time of the day, but she's not reckless, has her cloak ready on her shoulders, and will lead the horse into the woods if she catches the sight of a dangerous or suspicious situation.

Right now, she revels in the fresh air whipping her face, her disheveled hair flying around her face, her hands gripping the reins tightly, her thighs closed around the horse's bare back, like before, like old times, like Daniel...

She closes her eyes for a second, shakes the thought aside.

One death at a time.

She can't deal with both past and present right now. Daniel will always be a part of her, she will always love him, that first love she'd felt so vivid, so vibrant, so burning and which had made her ache and cry and almost die when she lost it. Despite her friends, despite the Merry Men, Robin, and finding her father back, despite Ruth and David, Amelia and little Connor, Daniel will never be erased from her heart and memory.

But right now, he's not the one she should think about. One of the reasons she left the camp was to get away from the constant fear they live in, from the anguish and the wild imagination, from the images of Amelia's lifeless body in her friend's arms, from Little John's desperate screams and everyone else's sadness and grief, from the awful reality of the loss of not one of their own, but two…

She needs comfort.

She needs someone who will find a way to soothe and calm her nerves, and she's too mad at Robin for that person to be him right now -even though technically, she won't accept the help of anyone from the camp. And if she wants to be utterly honest, she loves her father, deeply, always has, the fierce and strong love of a child for the only loving parent she ever had. But the years spent apart made them sort of strangers. Not totally. She will always be  _his_  cherished girl, and he will always be  _her_  caring father. But the person she became, the woman she is now, that girl went through hell and back,  _without him_.

She grew up,  _without him_.

Learned the real life,  _without him_.

Regina missed him every day, every night, every  _second_ , and seeing him again, spending time with him again, is a blessing. But in this particular moment she needs the presence of someone who knows her, someone who won't judge, someone who saw her change, helped her through each ordeal. Someone she grew so fond of and misses dearly, someone who is a mother.

Someone she wishes was  _her own_  mother.

The woman walks to her the moment Regina exits the thick shelter provided by the forest, but she's too far away to realize the state Regina's in.

The young woman dismounts Rocinante quickly while he's still slowing down, stumbles while doing so, but she doesn't care, instead she lets the horse walk away as she meets Ruth's concerned eyes, the furrow of her brow, the thin line of her mouth.

"Regina, are you alright? Why are you here?"

Tears are still flowing on Regina's face, despite the wild wind, the chill that seizes her, the late-morning cold air of a spring day without a sun ray. She shakes her head, puts one foot in front of the other, fighting to stay up, to keep her balance, not to fall on her knees and give up.

Ruth gathers her in her arms, the way a mother would do, the way her mother should have if she had truly loved her, if Cora were less starving for power and more sated with love.

Regina clutches to the older woman, her body shaking with violent sobs, her cheeks wet and her tears damping Ruth's skin and collar. She closes her eyes, tries to focus on the soothing hand on her back, the gentle fingers in her hair, the sweet words in her ear.

She's vaguely aware of a girl's voice calling her name -Snow, she guesses, but she's in no state to face the girl at the moment-, feels the slight shake of Ruth's head, a warning, an order, to keep her and everyone at bay, at least for the time being.

When Regina pulls away, she looks the woman in the eyes through her tears, shivers violently, her skin cold, icy, body trembling, so Ruth urges her inside, settles her near the fire, on a small chair. Regina curls up into a tiny ball, legs folded to her chest and chin resting on her knees, her face blank, empty,  _helpless_.

She barely realizes a blanket is thrown upon her shoulders in place of her cloak, only snaps out from her daze when a warm mug of tea is shoved into her hands, Ruth taking a seat in front of her, waiting.

"Amelia is dead."

Even her voice is empty, a broken, rough murmur of a truth she doesn't want to accept.

The woman covers her hand immediately, a sincere apology coming from her lips, an unneeded one, Ruth knows, but she voices it nonetheless.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said it was too dangerous for you to come. And under those circumstances, I imagine you would want to be with your friends."

Regina shakes her head again, closes her eyes, a tear slipping free. "I can't. It's... I..." She stumbles, sighs deeply as she can't make a coherent sentence, a coherent thought, until she decides to just tell the truth, what is bothering her, what is weighting on her chest and mind. "I just couldn't stay there anymore. It was too hard."

"Why? Is it because of Robin?" Ruth asks with concern, reaching for her hand and tucking it between hers.

Squeezing back, Regina raises an eyebrow in question, tilting her head to the side. "What do you know about that?"

The woman shrugs, speaking honestly. "Just that he forbid you to leave the camp, and that you didn't take it very well."

Regina sighs, thumb brushing absentmindedly against the cup in her hand, staring at it. "It's more complicated than that. When Amelia went missing, I wanted to go search for her, but he didn't let me. He never once considered the fact that I  _needed_  to be out there, that  _I_  wanted to be a part of the search. Since that day, things got worse between us, to the point that we... I... we don't talk anymore." Facing Ruth's pained but knowing look, she adds quickly, "I mean, I love him, I do, and I know he loves me. It's just... I'm so furious with him." She concludes breathily, head down. "I've spent the last few weeks stuck there, and now my best friend is dead, because of me."

Ruth startles at that, her frown deepening, tugging at the young woman's hand to urge her to look up at her. "What do you mean?"

Regina takes a deep breath, a long one. "My mother had her kidnapped. She learned that we were close, that she lived at the camp, and she used her both to hurt me and get information. My...  _sister_ , Zelena," she swallows dryly, the word still a bit odd on her tongue before continuing, "she couldn't bear the sight of it, of an innocent woman being tortured that way. But when she decided to act, to free her, it was too late. Anyway, she brought her body back. She found the huntsman, actually." Ruth's eyes open in realization. "She told him everything, and he took Amelia back home, to us. It was this morning."

She casts her eyes down as she finishes her story, clutching to the older woman's hand.

"So that's where he went today." When Regina gives her a questioning look, Ruth explains. "When I woke up this morning, he and one of our horses were gone, I didn't understand. Where is he now?"

Finally deciding to take a sip of her tea (it was starting to cool), Regina takes a few seconds to answer. "He was still at the camp when I left. I used the distraction he and Amelia's death provided to sneak out," she confesses, not a hint of shame in her voice.

"Regina!" Ruth warns knowingly, because the young woman's tendency to run away is apparently coming back.

"What?" Regina exclaims forcefully. "They know where I am, I told my father. I just needed to breathe, and no one to tell me what to do," she bites bitterly.

"Robin is only trying to keep you safe." Ruth explains.

"And I am not a bird you can lock up in a cage. I found freedom with him, and now he's taking it back. I didn't marry him to feel as trapped as I would had I married Leopold."

"Well, your mother is looking for you, honey," the older woman reminds kindly. "She is killing ruthlessly every person she knows has helped you or the Merry Men, and now she's taken your friend's life. I'd say he has a right to be concerned."

"Maybe, but I can't deal with him right now."

Understanding, Ruth bends forward and presses a kiss to Regina's forehead, stroking the back of her neck slightly. "Alright. You know you're always welcome here. If you need to stay..." She trails off, but doesn't even bother to finish, because they both know what she means. Regina acknowledges her answer with a weak  _thank you_ , and a  _There is something else_  that brings a puzzled and even more concerned look into Ruth's eyes.

"Amelia," Regina begins. "She was… We learned that…" She breathes out deeply, then in, out again, blinking back tears and shaking her head, gripping the woman's fingers tightly to give herself some courage. "She was pregnant."

The gasp coming from Ruth is audible and horrified, her eyes closing shut immediately, giving time for the news to sink in. As if this wasn't already enough of a tragedy…

But before she can utter a word, the door bursts open, revealing the huntsman, breathless.

"Thank God you're here!" He exclaims. "We were worried sick. Do you know the number of dangers you exposed yourself to by coming here alone?"

One sharp look from Ruth and a quick assessment of the scene in front of him shut him up, make him close the door behind him, walking the small distance between them before he's crouching beside Regina, who's avoiding his gaze like the plague.

"They're outside, but they won't come in, unless you want them to." He says in a kinder voice, but when Regina closes her eyes and shakes her head in reply, the huntsman sighs heavily, but concedes. "Okay, I'll tell them you're safe and that you're staying here, so they can go back to the camp."

She nods slightly, barely, just a tilt of her head, blinking, looking blankly ahead. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek with the back of his finger. "Hey!" When she finally meets his worried gaze, he tells her earnestly, "I'm sorry."

xxx

Regina falls asleep within a few minutes. Ruth might not have a lot of money, even less now that the Merry Men give her half of what they used to and she has three more people to feed -although having a skilled hunter among them is truly helping, but she does have a comfortable bed.

After the huntsman came back, she felt so worn, despite the fact it was around lunch time, that it didn't take him and Ruth very long to urge her to get some rest.

She accepted gladly, feeling the tiredness taking over her, grief and guilt heavy over her shoulders, over her heart. They hugged her, both of them, tightly, and she clutched to them, burrowed her face in their neck, taken from them all the comfort, care and love they were giving her.

Until she slipped under the covers, and closed her eyes.

She's no fool.

She knows the risks she took by coming here. She knows she's on her mother's lands, and her patrols are at every corner. But well, she doesn't feel safe anywhere now, aside from the camp maybe, but it became more of a prison than a home lately. She loves the place, loves its inhabitants dearly, loves her friends and husband, this life they created, the bonds between them, this endless and unbreakable loyalty. But when she opens her eyes every morning, all she sees is the pain and death she caused them.

All the consequences of her mother's insanity, of this blood feud.

She's not blind.

She's well aware that it's more than just the friars and Amelia. Her mother burned entire villages, slaughtered whole families, including women and children, because they had the misfortune to know her or the Merry Men, because they were bold enough to defend them, protect them, their identities. Cora never allowed anyone to stand up to her, but being at the head of this kingdom now, being supported by King Georges, his army joining the Black Knights whenever she needs it, there is nothing that can stop her blood path for a revenge.

Cora is mostly acting in Georges' kingdom, aware that it is where Regina is hiding, somewhere. That's why the young woman thinks Ruth and the princess are safe for now, because the sorceress wouldn't believe Regina stupid enough to keep Snow on her own land.

Snow White... Although she has only briefly seen her today, Regina knows from the huntsman's reports that she accustomed to the life here, and the quick glimpse she's had of her -the girl was dressed in simple clothes and feeding the animals with Johanna- when she arrived was a confirmation of it. It was with great difficulties, of course, but between Johanna and Ruth's motherly touch and firm directives, Snow has slowly taken into it. Her relationship with David is still a rollercoaster, made of arguments and yells intertwined with moments of pure friendship, but they manage, and they are both teenagers whose lives just have radically changed after all. One lost her kingdom and became an orphan, the other lost his simple life with his mother, and the presence of the man and woman he grew so close of over the years.

Inside of her, before sleep pulls her under, Regina hopes that with time, and hopefully the end of this war, the two will create a special bond, a connection, a relationship, just as deep and honest as the one she knew with Robin before they fell for each other.

* * *

_Present_

_She clutches to the grass underneath, fingers flexing and relaxing regularly, giving her something to focus on, something to deal with the loss she still hasn't really grown accustomed to, even several months later. With years and the closeness imposed by the camp, Amelia had become a major figure in Regina's life, someone who found a way to understand and advice without having ever experienced the same situation._

_Letting her go had been one of the most difficult moments in her life. Accepting that she would never see her again, would never confide, laugh, walk with her anymore. Watching Little John grieve the loss of his wife and unborn child, when he had done nothing wrong, knowing that Connor will always miss his mother, will grow up with so little memories of the wonderful woman who gave him life and loved him beyond everything._

_All of this made things even worse._

" _I spent a couple of days there at the farm. It was crowded, for sure, the place was never meant to host so many people, but we managed._

_Despite my refusal, David insisted that I should use the couch where he slept since Snow had taken his bed, while he would go sleep in the small stable. He was such a gentle boy, a good kid who was becoming a man in front of my eyes. Spending time with him was beneficial, for the both of us. We practiced sword fighting once, like old times. I wasn't Robin, our relationship was more the one of siblings, but this time together helped us find back this complicity we had when things were better, when we were seeing each other every other day._

_As for Snow… I was very surprised to find her so shy with me, especially after all the things we said to each other in our letters, everything she confessed to me. This correspondence created a special bond between us, but I felt then that she was afraid to bother me, that she understood that I needed time. Although, I also think she didn't fully realized everything, Ruth, Johanna and I having decided to keep some information a secret. But she knew I was hurting, deeply, that I needed time to recover, so she didn't push."_

_Frowning, she corrects, smirking at the thought._

" _Well, she did push, sometimes, but not the way she would have before. This time, she knew when to stop, and that's how I saw for myself how much she had grown during her time at the farm. I had begun to feel it in her letters, but there I was witnessing it, and the change was impressive. But thanks to her education, though she did start to speak more freely while being there, one look from the adults was enough to cut her off when she was about to cross the line._

_Ruth and the huntsman were watching over me, but from a distance. They were worried, but knew I needed some resemblance of freedom, to keep myself busy so I could clear my mind of all the grieves and guilt I was carrying. They let me work the way I used to before, helping repairing the sheets' enclosure, shaving the beasts and milking them, giving them and the horses food, cleaning the house. I wasn't myself again, but it was closer, better, the void still terrible but the pain more bearable._

_Until I came back to reality. Until my friends arrived to ask me to come back…"_

* * *

Two days later

Regina smiles softly at the woman standing in front of her, grabs the hand she holds out, follows her on the path running through the forest, unable to tear her eyes away from her.

"What?" Amelia asks, chuckling. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Winding an arm around her friend's, Regina stops their walk, turns her so they are face to face.

"I'm so glad to see you're okay."

Amelia reaches for her shoulder, rubs slowly. "Don't worry about me! I'll be alright. Me and…" She glances down, one hand covering her abdomen, "this little one, we'll be fine."

Staring at where the unborn child lies, Regina sighs. "I'm sorry." She murmurs, shaking her head. "This should have never happened. You weren't supposed to-"

Amelia shushes her with her thumb on her lips, smiling weakly, shrugging. "You can't change the past. What happened, happened for a reason. Maybe it's too soon to realize what it is, but I'm sure it will all make sense one day."

"I don't want to find a meaning in all this. I want my friend back." Regina almost pouts, taking each of her friend's hands into her owns, gripping tightly. "I want  _you_  back."

"I know. But you're needed here, and I can't come back." She searches to catch Regina's erratic gaze, locks their eyes, and says gently, but firmly. "Regina, I need you to do something for me."

Her guts tense at the words, anxiety filling her, but Regina nods. "Anything."

Amelia takes a deep breath, her broken heart revealed in the determination in her voice. "You have to take care of my boy." Regina's eyes grow wide, but she stays silent. "My Connor. He doesn't understand what's going on, and he's too young, he needs a mother."

"Amelia, wait, I-"

" _I know_ , Regina" Amelia cuts. "I know what you're about to say. But he loves you so much. And my John, he's such an amazing father, but you know him, he's… a man." They share a low chuckle, because yes, Little John is excellent when it comes to men's business, but Amelia was the one taking care of everything not related to carriage's attacks, robberies and training. She was looking after Connor most the time, and they both know John, despite his deep and sincere love for his child, might not find the patience his wife had. "Can you take care of them for me? Make sure they're alright?"

Hesitation shows in Regina's tensed features, in the slight opening of her mouth, wanting to speak but not daring to.

" _Regina."_

Startled, she looks around, searching for the voice calling her name, but Amelia squeezes her hands softly, bringing her attention back to her. "Please."

" _Regina."_

She turns her head again, lifts her gaze to find where this is coming from, but Amelia's pressure on her hands is more urgent, insistent.

" _Regina, wake up."_

"Please." Amelia says again. "I need to be sure they won't be alone."

Regina feels the pressure decrease, and she looks down, at their joined hands, linked fingers, or what is slowly disappearing of her friend's body. Glancing up, she's overwhelmed by a wave of panic, tries to tighten her grip on Amelia but the woman is slowly fading in front of her.

"Regina, promise me!"

" _Regina, wake up honey!"_

"There's no more time. You have to tell me now!"

"I promise!"

The words are out before she can think of them, and she watches the smile growing on her friend's face, the way peace and relief radiates from her at her words. She watches her disappearing slowly in front of her, her hand waving goodbye.

"Thank you."

Three words are on the tip of her tongue, but Regina doesn't have time to voice them.

When she opens her eyes, she's met by Ruth's kind look, a hand over her shoulder, crouched in front of her. The woman's gaze is understanding, sympathetic, full of compassion, and she wipes away the tear that escaped and is rolling on Regina's cheek, smiling affectionately, her hand rubbing her arm.

"It was a dream." Regina realizes, blinking back the remnant of sleep, looking around to find David and the huntsman setting the small table, glancing at her in concern. "It was just a dream," she whimpers, swallowing back sobs.

"I'm sorry."

Burying her face in the pillow, Regina lets a deep and shaky breath out, squeezing and then relaxing, rolling on her back and looking at the ceiling.

"Breakfast is ready. Snow and Johanna are getting dressed. You can take a few minutes if you need."

Ruth's soft voice comes as a murmur, as if far away from her, and Regina finds herself nodding, her eyes closing on their own but she fights to keep them open.

She thinks of her dream, of what Amelia said, requested, of what she made her promise.

As difficult as it will be to somehow take her place, she will, because she owes her friend at least that. And come on, she loves Little John and Connor so much, it won't be a hardship to take care of them! Whatever this was, either just a dream or more, she knows that it's what her friend would have wanted.

When she hears a door opening, she sighs, closes her eyes for a second, but when she opens them, she sits up, rubs her face one last time, and gets up.

She listens to the small talks, the light conversation around the table, smiles from time to time, a weak one, a ghost, but she forces herself to listen, to participate. She barely has, the past days here, barely opened her mouth except to answer direct questions or guide David during their training. But today, she tries. She's not sure how, or why, but this last goodbye to her friend, this promise she just made, has sort of settled something inside her, appeased her heartbreak. She feels like it allowed her to free herself from her grief, to come back to her senses, and it's difficult, but she wants to try.

She wants to feel better.

She  _has_  to.

Regina rolls her eyes at the huntsman's smirk when she speaks freely for the first time this morning and everyone is startled. She laughs softly when he playfully bumps his shoulder into hers, and she knows he did it on purpose, to make her really smile, and realizes that it's only been two days, but being here, this morning, the weight is lighter, the loss less heavy, the pain less suffocating. She's not struggling to keep the tingling sensation away, can focus on something different than only her pain.

"You're feeling better." He states, bending to whisper in her ear.

He recedes to look at her, and she shrugs, bites her lower lip. "Maybe a little." She gazes at the people at the table, adding in a low voice so no one else will hear, "I was right to come here."

"They care a lot about you, you know?"

Nodding sincerely, she answers, "I know. And I care about them to. About all of you," Regina corrects, tilting her head to the side. "I'm glad I get to spend some time here. I missed this place and everyone here."

"I swear, it wasn't just a bug!"

Snow's voice comes so loud it draws them out of their private conversation.

"Your imagination is just running wild. I thought that after several months spent here, you wouldn't be afraid of the forest anymore." David scoffs.

Ruth gives him a look, knowing very well he's playing with Snow's feelings, just annoying her on purpose, and it has the huntsman chuckling, Regina following.

"I'm not making this up! It had wings, and blond hair. It was a person! I'm sure of it." Snow pouts, leaning back into her chair, arms crossed over her chest, so she misses the way Regina frowns deeply, unconsciously leaning forward, listening and waiting.

"A flying person? Are you sure, princess?" Johanna asks warily, furrowed brow.

"Yes, Johanna!" Snow assures, tilting her chin up in a pretentious way that reminds Regina too much of the child she met years ago on a running horse. "It was a fairy! I am certain! A green fairy. She was looking through my window!"

That's all it takes.

Suddenly, Regina turns pale, mouth open agape and breath stuck in her throat. She drops her spoon into the bowl of soup with a splash before hurrying outside, oblivious of the surprised calls of her name.

She runs a small distance, but enough to make sure they won't hear her if they follow –and she knows at least some of them will.

"Tinkerbell!" She says once, loudly, firmly, a request more than a friendly call. " _Tinkerbell_  !" This time she almost screams it, almost spits the name, stomping her foot and crossing her arms on her chest. "I know you're here! Show yourself!"

She's met by silence again, scrutinizes her surroundings, realizing Ruth and the huntsman are waiting for her at the door with puzzled looks, but neither one of them is following her. "I will stay here for hours if I must, so you better stop playing dumb with me," she warns, her voice low and dark.

A light glitter catches her eye on her left, and she turns around, squeezing her eyes shut when she understands she was right. As for whether she feels relieved or pissed, she hasn't decided yet.

"Hello, Regina!" The greeting is warm, but missing the bright smile she remembers was on the fairy's lips on their previous encounters. "How are you?"

Regina scoffs, shakes her head while chuckling bitterly.

Very well then,  _pissed_  it is.

"I think you know pretty much how I am. What are  _you_  doing here?"

Tinkerbell's face shifts from compassion to discomfort, making Regina's brow furrow deeply, head tilting to the side in a silent question.

"Watching over Snow White."

"Why?" Regina asks honestly.

"Because I asked her to." Another voice reveals, and Regina turns to meet the Blue Fairy, flying towards them and stopping next to her subordinate. "Good morning, Regina."

The woman is looking at them with surprise in her eyes, the genuine ignorance of their presence here until now, but having the distinct feeling that this is going to be a painful conversation. "Why did you ask her to watch over Snow? Is she in danger?"

"Of course she is, Regina. Your mother might not know about this location, but wherever she is, the princess needs protection." The Blue Fairy answers simply.

"The  _princess_?" Regina outrages, her voice suddenly raising. " _Just_  the princess? Does that mean if something happens to the others, you won't do anything for them?"

"That is not what I said."

"Then what did you say?"

The Blue Fairy sighs. "Regina, it is so much more complicated than what you think. There are so many things you don't know yet."

Her eyebrows shoot up at that, and she takes a firm step forward, fighting to keep her voice down as she knows two people are currently wondering what is happening.

"Then enlighten me!" She bites. "Because I don't see how this is a  _complicated_ situation? How protecting all of them at the same time could turn out to be such a challenge." In front of the fairy's silence, her eyes open wide in disbelief when she begins to understand. "Wait! Are you telling me that it's okay for some people to be protected by fairies, and for others to be left to their fates?" The Fairy opens her mouth to talk, but Regina doesn't let her. "What about Amelia? The friars? What about every innocent man, woman and child my mother has coldly slaughtered? Are you telling me that they don't matter? That the life of  _one_  person is more important than the ones of  _dozens_?" The Blue Fairy's silence is answer enough, and Regina steps back, dumbfounded. "What kind of fairy are you?"

"Regina," the fairy tries calmly. "You know Snow White is the last heir to this Kingdom, that's why you decided to protect her in the first place. She has a great future ahead of her. Should we succeed in the war against your mother, she's the only one able to sit on the throne and appease the tensions that will necessarily follow."

Regina walks closer, eyes shooting daggers at her, her voice low so no one else will hear. "I surely don't want her to die or suffer more than she already has, and you probably know better than I do how much I care for her. But I don't care about her  _great_  future. Amelia had a future! Her three year old son was supposed to grow up with a mother! And she was supposed to give life again. She was  _pregnant_! She was pregnant and  _you_  let  _her_  die. How is it fair? How is it just?"

"It's not," Blue concedes. "But this was the way things were supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason."

Regina huffs in a breath, turns her head away, a tear rolling down her cheek, wipes it away quickly with a trembling hand. Pins and needles are back in her itching fingers, but she manages to get control over them, focuses on the calm and serene face of her friend during her dream, on her acceptance of the situation.

"Every event plays its role," Blue continues, sensing the opening in the discussion, and the need for the other woman to understand the importance of things. "You will understand later. Right now, you're blinded by grief, which is more than understandable. But you can't forget who you are, who you decided to be. You sent Snow White here for a reason. Because you wanted to protect her, for her to be taken care of and loved, and you knew that what I'm saying is true. By doing so, you helped fate more than you can imagine." She earns a sharp glance, but it doesn't unsettle her. "Do not believe I am pleased with your friend's death, nor the one of her unborn child's. But it was necessary. For you, to find the strength to do what has to be done, but also..."

When she doesn't continue, stopping herself suddenly as if she was about to spill out a secret, Regina frowns, suspicious. "What are you not telling me? What are you hiding?"

"You will find out, Regina. Soon, I promise. Everything will make sense."

"I don't want to find a meaning to this nightmare!  _I want my friend back_ ," Regina pleads, her voice breaking on the last confession.

"I know. Unfortunately, this is not something in my power. Dead is supposed to remain dead. No magic can change that. Amelia had to die for a reason. Be patient. Have faith. Believe in yourself. You're stronger than you think."

And with a last bow of her head, and a compassionate look from Tinkerbell, they're gone.

xxx

Regina has confessed the fairies' revelations to Ruth, Johanna and the huntsman, keeping her unfairness feelings to herself, along with the fact that it was mostly to protect Snow and not much the others that a fairy is watching over the farm. It took a long discussion, but they decided to delay their plan to join the camp.

After Zelena's appearance so close to the farm, and her revelation that Cora had decided to make anyone close to Regina pay for her daughter's decision to stand up to her, they thought of accompanying her to the camp whenever she was ready to go back.

Especially if Zelena lied and Cora did get the camp's location.

But knowing they were under a fairy's protection, Ruth offered to stay a little longer at the farm. The camp was overcrowded, there wasn't much room left, the extension not ready to welcome new inhabitants yet. But the friars were about to leave, having decided it was time for them to go back to their quiet life, despite everyone's protests. They just started going back and forth between their monastery and the camp during the day, to bury the dead, and rebuild slowly. And when everything's ready and settled, they will go back to their normal lives.

On the next day, one of the Merry Men will come to the farm, help Ruth and her little troop to get ready, and after having packed everything they need, the family will make their way to the Merry Men's camp.

"Is it still the same?" Snow asks genuinely, leaning forward with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. She might have learned to live outside the castle, but Regina figures going back to that place full of men, dirt and sweat might not be very appealing for the young princess.

"Mostly. We had to make some arrangements with the priests' arrival, and of course it's going to be bigger and you will be settled in the new aisle. But other than that it's the same as you remember," Regina explains, gesturing at the same time, closing her eyes to remember. And then, for Ruth, who's never been there she adds, "We have either tents, or small wooden cabins. There is a fire that never dies, tables and benches where we all eat together. The men and I are usually practicing and teaching how to use weapons and fight during the day, while the women are taking care of their families and the children." She stops and frowns, tilts her head to the side, opening her eyes and looking blankly at the table. "Well, I guess I'm part of both groups."

Ruth's hand is on her shoulder an instant later, and Regina covers it, smiling gratefully. "We have a small school, crops and food supplies that we bought, cultivated or hunted, a well to get fresh water, a river just outside the camp where we bathe and clean our cloth-"

"Oh, I had forgotten about the river!"

The disappointment in Snow White's voice is so strong that everyone turns their head to look at her with surprise. It's David who breaks the silence. "I bet your Majesty didn't appreciate to bathe with the commoners," he mocks, smirking.

"David!" Ruth scolds firmly.

"I bathed alone!" Snow argues forcefully. "Only Johanna was with me."

Regina smiles, her heart only half here. "Fear not, Snow," she reassures. "That won't change. We can find you a routine, so that you won't be there at the same time, nor at the same spot as someone else."

Snow nods wordlessly at her explanation, seemingly satisfied although not totally at ease with it. The life at the camp is very different from the one at the farm. And last time she was there, the Merry Men had done everything in their power to make things easy for her. But this is a different time, and the princess won't be blessed with the same comfort they gave her during her previous visit.

In the deep silence that follows, Regina's and the huntsman's heads snap up when they catch the same sound coming from outside.

Horses.

Silently ordering everyone to keep quiet, they get up, him reaching for his bow and her for David's sword. It's not much, but they're good fighters, so whoever is out there better be ready to deal with them.

Regina moves towards the window while he's at the door, hand on the doorknob, waiting for her to check outside, watching her concentrate and narrow her eyes, and frown.

And lower her sword.

He mouths her name in a whisper, as she's still looking ahead through the glass covered with dew, trying to make sure she's not mistaken, trying to be certain this is not a trap.

And then she sighs. Half in relief, half in regret.

Regina lets the sword rest against the wall, and walks to the huntsman, nodding in the process but not uttering a word, opening the door herself and getting out to the cold without even bothering to put her coat on.

She waits for the intruders just a couple of feet away from the porch, arms crossed over her chest tightly in a vain attempt to protect herself from the chilly air, and in an effective one to make them understand she clearly wasn't expecting them.

It works, because she recognizes on her friends' faces the look they usually wear when she's unsettling them -or when she's trying to anyway-. But underneath the annoyance at their presence and reminder of the life she left behind, she can't help but worry.

She's worried, because the last time she saw them, they had just learned about the death of one of their own, and she has no idea of what's happened since.

She startles when the Huntsman drops her cloak on her shoulders, her head turning to him in a reflex, and he raises a brow at her, as if to prevent her from making any sharp remark about how she was perfectly fine when she was really freezing on spot.

"Regina."

She smiles slightly at Alan, barely, more of a dry acknowledgement to his greeting, but she takes a step forward anyway, meeting Eric and Arthur's eyes in the process, searching behind them for a presence she does not see.

"Your father suggested that it might be better if Robin didn't come, so he stayed at the camp." Alan answers her silent question before she even voices it, and she lets out a deep breath, nods slowly.

"What are you doing here? Has something happened?"

Despite her blank mask and neutral tone, there is a hint of fear piercing in her words, and she doesn't even mentally scowl herself for it, just waits for the answer with anxiety.

"No," Eric reassures her. "At least nothing new."

She sighs in relief, feels the huntsman's figure relax next to her too, but she's confused, furrows her brow and tilts her head to the side.

"Then why did you come?"

The three men exchange an uneasy glance, probably wondering which one is going to announce her the news, and much to her surprise it's Arthur who speaks first, giving the name of one of the few people who make her react immediately.

"Connor." he says simply.

"What about him?" Regina asks with a now clear anxiety and dread, taking another step forward.

"He needs you."

"He's been asking for you since you disappeared. We told him about Amelia, or at least tried to," Eric explains with a grimace. "I'm not sure he understands, he asked for her a lot too. But," the man pauses, looking for the right words obviously, the ones that won't throw her on edge. "Regina, we have to bury her."

Her eyes light up in realization, in horror, when she understands she left even before the funeral, when she was so overwhelmed with guilt and pain she forgot the basic of people's death, of the livings left behind.

If it came to someone else's mind at the farm, they didn't say anything, and the thought never even occurred to her. She was busy healing and licking her wounds on her own, away from everyone, too blinded by her pain to remember who she abandoned when she ran away.

"We waited for you, but we can't anymore. We need to properly grieve her, Connor and Little John more than anyone else. John is devastated, I don't know how he found the strength and patience to give you time. And Connor... Regina, whatever death means to him, he thinks you are too." She snaps her head up to look at Eric, then Alan and Arthur's pained faces with wide eyes and an open mouth, and there it is again, the guilt, coming right back to slam her in the face and hit her chest violently, knocking the breath out of her once more.

When will she finally be able to make a decision without hurting the ones she loves in the process?

"He doesn't understand the difference between her disappearance and yours, and even John has been unable to reassure him."

Alan steps forward, determined this time.

"You're not the only one hurting, Regina. Now it's time to come back and face the truth."

xxx

The moment Regina passes the entrance door, a storm made of blonde hair and blue eyes runs to her, shouting her name, jumping into her arms and Regina catches him just in time, tears brimming in her eyes, blinking them back, holding him tight. She weaves a hand into his hair, gentle, trying to look at the boy but he refuses to let her go, clutches to her in a way he never did before. She lets her friends walk Rocinante in the horses' enclosure, and takes place on a log, forces Connor to recede, lovingly gazes at him before she kisses his brow, strokes his cheek, and smiles warmly.

"You gone, like mommy," he pouts, gripping her cloak tightly in an attempt to keep her with him.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry." She kisses his forehead again, fingers trailing in his hair. "But I'm here, now. I won't leave you again."

"P'omise!" He challenges, his adorable face turning into a frown, almost a scowl, his brow furrowed.

She tucks her forehead against his, murmuring in the space between them, with all the honesty she can muster, "I promise, Connor."

He hugs her after that, again, strongly, and she realizes that despite his innocence and young age, despite his misunderstanding of the world and the tragedy his family is going through,  _she_  scared  _him_.

She robbed him of the solace she should have brought him instead when they learned about his mother's death.

So she holds him, rubs his back, whispers kind and soothing words to his ear for a long time, until he's fully relaxed in her arms, his head resting in the crook of her neck, his body limp against her. She wraps her own cloak around his shoulders so they can deepen the contact, so they are pressed against each other, his fingers playing with her hair, murmuring to himself the way only a child does, while she closes her eyes and just savor the feeling.

But despite how soothing this embrace is, despite her closed eyes and Connor's sweet voice, from where she is, she can feel Robin's gaze on her, his presence even from afar, and they need to talk, she won't bear the coldness, the distance and bitterness between them much longer.

"Connor," she calls gently, and the little boy looks up at her with shining eyes. "Can you go with Alan for a little while? I have to talk with Robin." In front of the child's pout and protest and tightening of his grip on her, she adds, smiling reassuringly, nuzzling her nose with him in a tender gesture. "I promise I'll come to see you in a short time."

The way his nose scrunches in reflection is adorable, and her heart squeezes at the thought that this wonderful child has lost his mother forever. That the irony of fate wants her to be the reason why.

"'kay," he decides, but not moving anyway, until she puts him on the ground and Alan holds his hand for him. He takes it willingly but with some reluctance, glancing at her one last time, waiting for her to assure she'll still be there in an hour.

Regina watches him leave, before turning to Robin, her face growing serious, and before he can take a step forward, she does, walks to him and without a word tilts her chin in their tent's direction, an invitation to follow.

She enters it, stops after a few steps, her back on the entrance, the muscles of her shoulders tensing when she hears him behind her. She turns slowly, looks up at her husband, defiance and determination in her dark eyes, but she lets him close the distance separating them. She's so ready for a lecture that she doesn't notice the sadness of his face, the uneasiness, and maybe something else. Guilt? Shame?

Anyway, she doesn't give him time to speak, tilts her chin up. "I won't apologize for leaving, Robin. You were suffocating me. I understand that you were trying to protect me, but you can't lock me in here like a prisoner."

He shushes her with another step, eyelids almost shut and gaze down. "I know, Regina. I'm sorry."

She gives him a surprised look, a tilt of her head, so he winds his arms around her waist, brings her closer when she doesn't resist, leans forward until his forehead meets hers.

And this time she lets him.

"I let my fears blind me, and I didn't... I forgot..." He huffs a breath, squeezes tightly. "It was stupid. Can you forgive me?"

She presses her lips to his for a quick kiss, her hands reaching for his neck, gripping gently, stroking his nape.

"Of course." She assures. "But do not ever treat me like that again. I'm not a child, Robin. And you can't make decisions for me, even if we're married."

"I know. It's just that... This whole situation... It's too much sometimes. I am so scared of losing you. When Amelia went missing, I... I thought if you didn't leave the camp, you would be safe, that you wouldn't know the same fate, whatever it was."

She breathes against his lips, pulling back just enough to lock their eyes.

"So you can understand that I was terrified at the idea that while we had no clue of what had happened to her,  _you_  were out there. Even if I didn't know my mother was involved, I knew she wanted to kill you, and you were out in the open, at her mercy should you cross path with her. That's also why I was so angry with you.  _You_  did to  _me_  what you didn't want  _me_  to do to  _you_."

He looks at her with shame and realization, one hand lifting to cup her cheek.

"But I'm sorry too," she speaks again, cutting him off. "I took it on you, aimed my anxiety and anger at you, but you didn't deserve it. I know I probably overreacted" she admits sheepishly, shrugging, smiling as Robin gives her a pointed look, obviously agreeing with her on this point "I let this fight between us grow because it was... easier, maybe? Certainly less painful than accepting the truth, because I had a feeling I would never see Amelia again. And I... I..." She swallows a sob, doesn't fight the tears that start to fall when she confesses, "I miss her so much, Robin."

She bursts into tears, breaks on a strangled sob, lets it all out and doesn't even resist when he pulls her in his arms, shushing her with a kiss, a gentle rock forward and back, a tender hand in her hair.

Regina tucks her head under his chin, grips at his shirt so tight it's close to being torn apart, her cries full and open-mouthed, her vision blurred by an uninterrupted flow of tears, choking on a sob, clutching to him for support, and if it wasn't for Robin's strong arms around her she would fall on her knees, every strength leaving her, her mask slipping as she doesn't even attempt to hold back anymore.

Robin is the only thing keeping her upright, anchoring her to the reality, and he holds her close, lets her unload it all, until she's spent and breathing heavily and sniffling against him, wiping her face with the back of her hand, still struggling to calm down and stop the trembling of her body, leaning completely against his chest.

He guides her gently to the bed, sits on the edge and brings her with him. She lies down next to him, each one on their side, facing the other, his fingers brushing her face soothingly, her hand slipping under his arm to reach his side and resting there, thumb stroking absentmindedly as she closes her eyes,  _recovers_.

They stay silent for a while, comforting, grieving, until Regina speaks in a weak and raspy voice. "I still can't believe she's gone."

"It's been only two days, Regina. Give it time."

She nods slightly, but adds, "Connor doesn't deserve this. He loves her so much, and she was incredible with him." Robin tightens his grip for a second, already sensing the parallel that is coming. "He should have a loving mother. It's not fair that because mine is such a monster, he had to lose his."

There is resentment in her voice, a small tremor underneath that he's not used to hear, and Robin wonders if this event will change Regina's mind about sparing Cora's life.

But he does not dare ask.

Regina keeps suppressing sobs, keeps leaking tears and damping the pillow. She sniffles again, so he reaches for a handkerchief on the small bedside table behind him, sitting with her when she wipes her face and blows her nose.

He lets her settle comfortably on her back, him propped on his elbow beside her, a hand on her belly, thumb stroking gently. She links their fingers, her other hand reaching for his arm and tracing the length of it, slowly, a light touch, but it seems to help her focus.

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

Regina turns her head to give him a look, but her voice is soft, resigned. "Just the fact that you need to mention it proves otherwise."

He scoots a bit closer, leans forward just a little. "I need to mention it because I know you, Regina. You've blamed yourself for everything that happened by your mother's hand or order. But you're not her. You do not let the blade fall. You do not rip hearts out. You do not slaughter or kidnap innocent people.  _She_  does. Tuck, the Friars, even Little John accept that. The first two already told you that. And John will too, when he's ready."

"That means he doesn't accept it."

"That's not what I said." Robin corrects. "It means he just lost his wife, and he needs time. But I spoke with him while you were at the farm, and he's worried about you. He was really upset when we realized you were gone." She seems to not believe him, so he gives her hand a gentle tug. "He cares about you, Regina. And Amelia meant a lot, for the both of you. More than for anyone else in this camp, exception made of Connor. He understands how you feel. Whenever you're ready, he wants to have a talk with you."

She raises on her elbows, confused. "Is there something you're not telling me ?"

When he doesn't answer, she lifts an eyebrow, waiting. "It's not mine to tell." Robin simply replies. Regina falls back on the mattress with a thud, sighing, when he finishes. "You just have to know that I'm okay with it."

xxx

It's with a short breath and shaky hands that she pulls the fabric to the side, stepping into the tent and stopping immediately.

She's here.

Skin cleaned of any trace of blood, bruises hidden with creams and ointments, her hair brushed, her hands folded over her abdomen.

From where she is, Regina can almost see her chest raise and fall with every breath.

Almost.

She takes a step forward, another one, struggling to get closer and face the reality, at the same time craving to touch her, to make physical contact, to watch her beautiful peaceful face and weave her fingers into her hair.

God, it hurts so much already, just being here.

She reaches for a stool nearby, settles it next to the bed where Amelia is laying, and sits. One hand covers Amelia's on her abdomen, the other brushes her forehead, wincing at the cold and rigid skin under her fingertips, shaking her head to put the feeling aside.

"I'm sorry. I should have come sooner. I should have been the one taking care of you for... everything." Regina takes a deep breath, allows one tear to slip free, but only one, sniffles quickly. "I did what I always do. I ran away. I didn't even think of everything...  _everyone_ , I was leaving behind. But I'm here now," she says resolutely. "And I will keep my promise to you. I love you, Amelia."

She bends forward, presses a kiss to her forehead, lingering for a second, because it is the last time she will have the chance to do that, because it's more than a simple goodbye.

It's an  _adieu_.

* * *

_Present_

" _We buried her the same day," she says softly. "Little John had picked a beautiful place just outside the camp, a small clearing where they loved to go have a picnic, the three of them. He briefly came to me before the funeral, asked me to meet him after, but that for now he wanted me to speak in his wife's memory, because I was as important for her as she was for me._

_So I did._

_I spoke for her and for her friends, for her husband and son, that little boy who clutched to my hand just as much as he gripped his father's. I spoke for those who needed comfort, to remember how wonderful she was, had been, how deeply we loved her, how missed she'd be._

_Because funerals, after all, are not for the dead._

_They are for the living."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people might have sensed the parallel, but I used something from the movie The Fault in Our Stars. What Hazel says at the end is so true, I immediately thought of it while writing the last scene in this chapter.


	19. The most resilient heart : Chapter 11

_Present_

" _People reacted differently to Amelia's funeral. Some needed to occupy themselves, to find something to keep them busy, and for most their children provided them that. For obvious reasons, we organized the ceremony while the youngest were napping. Connor was the only child attending it. But by the time it was over, the kids were awake, asking after their parents, and the adults were relieved to have something else to focus on._

_For others, privacy and loneliness were what they sought. Little John was one of them. He stayed on Amelia's grave for a while, doing nothing other than sitting there and staring at her name carved on a stone._

_We let him be._

_The men and I, we took Connor with us, kept him occupied while his father grieved the loss of his wife and child. But when John headed back to his tent, one look from him made me understand he wanted to talk with me. So I left Connor in Robin and Tuck's care, and went to my friend's tent."_

* * *

Seven and a half months earlier

Just after the funeral

Regina holds her breath, staring at the tent she's standing in front of, unable to enter. She has no idea what this conversation will be like, but she's already dreading it.

Despite everything Robin told her, despite the warm hug Little John gave her when she came back, she's afraid he might hold a grudge against her, either for being indirectly responsible for Amelia's death, or for having delayed her funeral because she couldn't think enough to realize her friend needed to be buried, before taking off in the wind like a coward.

She shakes her head.

If Little John has reproaches to make, she will take them. She deserves them, and she may have lost a friend, but he lost half his family, his happiness, his heart. She owes him to listen without flinching, to receive all his anger if it allows him to feel better.

So she calls his name.

Waits for his invitation, and pushes the tent flap to enter.

She finds him sitting on his bed, elbows on his knees and head in his palms, breathing soundly to prevent the tears from falling. He kept a brave face during the funeral, kept his chin up and his body straight, holding his son's hand, helping him grab a handful of earth and throwing it on the coffin.

This is so unfair, she thinks. Little John is a good man, he never did anything wrong, he certainly doesn't deserve this.

He lifts his head when he hears her, watches her standing awkwardly at the entrance of his tent, unable to decide if she should stay there or step forward.

He pats the mattress next to him, nodding his head at the same time.

When she joins him, he grabs her hand immediately, squeezing with his large fingers, looking her square in the eyes with evident concern. "Are you alright?"

Regina furrows her brow, mouth opening in surprise, then shaking her head. "We just buried your wife, John. I should be the one asking you this question."

"I think we both know why I'm asking." he shrugs. The explanation is not needed. They're walking on the same ground here. They both lost a lover and a child to Cora's hand. Regina even almost lost Robin in addition to Daniel, and she witnessed every event. She felt her own baby being  _crushed_  inside her,  _begged_  her mother to let her husband live and watched her ignore her pleadings. And now, she has to live with the fact that John's wife, the kindest person in the camp, is dead for daring to be her friend.

He looks at her so intensely then, that she knows she has to give him an answer.

"I'll be okay. I'm dealing with it."

"Are you sure?" he insists, afraid that she might lie to protect him.

"I am." she confirms, nodding firmly. "It's difficult, but I have to find some strength in what happened to keep going. Too many people need me." Regina adds with affection, one hand lifting to rest on his shoulder, her message clear.

She's here for him if he needs.

"Good. Because I have something to ask you."

His tone has grown serious, so she shifts to face him, stays silent, waiting for him.

"When Amelia and I found out she was pregnant again, we had long talks about it. We knew the current situation, either political or at the camp, wasn't the best to bring a new child to life, but we were so enthusiastic. Connor was such an important part of our happiness, we knew this baby was only going to bring us more joy." She listens to him carefully, holding his gaze and his hand. "She couldn't wait to tell you, Regina. She was so thrilled."

Something lights up in Little John's eyes at his words, love shining at the thought of his wife alive and delighted with the prospect of extending her family.

"She wanted you to have the same relationship with this child as you have with Connor. She wanted you in our children's lives. And I did too.  _I do_. That's why I'm asking you this. I know she'd agree with me, and honestly, I can't think of anyone else. Regina..."

She swallows hard when he leans slightly forward, his voice low and hesitant but also full of the hope that she will accept his offer.

"I want you to take care of my son." She gasps, shakes in his hold, but he only grips her hand firmer. "Not as his mother, I'm not asking you to take Amelia's place." Little John clarifies, although it's not needed, she will never be able to fill that void, and even if she loves Connor as her own, she's not his mother and there is no way she wants the little boy to forget about Amelia. "But I'd like you to be the only maternal figure he has from now on. You're wonderful with him, and he loves you so very much.  _He needs you_." He pauses for a short time, bracing himself before confessing the hardest part. " _I_  need you to help me raise my son. Please."

He's silent then, and so is she.

Too stunned to react.

A strange feeling of déjà-vu, of a similar request made by someone else barely hours ago washing over her.

Regina never thought there was life after death. Even when she talks to Daniel, to her unborn child, she has hope her words are reaching them, the foolish wish they can hear her, but knows deep down the only thing she is facing is a solid muddy ground and a cold gray stone.

Now?

She's not sure.

The parallel is too much, too similar, to be ignored. Maybe there is some kind of life after you die. Maybe the spirit, the soul, continue to exist, at another level, in another world, and sometimes, it can find a way to reach the livings.

Anyway, real or not, two people that she loves from the bottom of her heart asked her the same thing today. She already answered one. Now the other is looking at her with pleading and glassy eyes.

"Yes." She finally speaks. Little John's features relax at that, his eyes closing in relief, breath slow, shoulders sagging. "I will be here for Connor, and for you. I won't let you down, not anymore. I swear."

His low  _thank you_  is lost somewhere in her hair, when she wraps her arms around his shoulders and hugs him close, rubbing his back as he lets his tears fall, the ones that are left, that he refused to show in front of his son. She lets him cry against her, stays there as long as he needs, until his shoulders stop shaking, until his breathing evens, until the pain lessens.

When John is calmer, she pulls back, wipes his cheeks with her thumbs and a small smile, and her voice is close to a whisper when she asks, "Do you want me to bring your son in, or do you prefer to rest for a moment?"

He hesitates for a second, as if one of the answers is so selfish he's afraid to voice it, but honestly it is what he needs right now, and now he knows Regina is there, knows Connor is not alone, so he confesses sheepishly, "I think I need a little more time. Can you and the men take care of him for a bit longer?"

Regina is not one afraid by people's weaknesses, she has enough herself, so she just smiles, nods and rises on her feet. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

He catches her hand at the last second, making her turn to him with a questioning look, so he squeezes a little. "Thank you, Regina. Despite what you think, you're not responsible for all of this. And you don't deserve what is happening any more than any of us. I hope you know that."

She ducks her head to the side, a warm and affectionate look in her eyes, her lips turning into a weak smile, shrugging slightly. "I do. I'm not accepting it yet, but I do."

Before he can argue, she gives him a grateful look, and steps out of the tent.

When she finds Connor, he's with Robin and Tuck, his toys spread on the floor while the men are sitting on the log just next to him. She sends them a small smile and a shrug of her shoulder, bends to kiss her husband's cheek before taking a seat next to him, looking down at the child, busy playing with the wooden horses his father bought him for his third birthday and that are his favorite game.

"He's resting." She simply says, and both men nod silently, while Connor finally acknowledges her presence and looks up from his toys to give her a toothy grin.

"'Gina! Wanna play?"

She chuckles at his enthusiastic reaction, because children have this amazing ability to keep living their lives even through the most difficult ordeals. It warms her heart a little, that glimpse of innocence and happiness reminding her they still have reasons to fight, and the little boy in front of her is one of the most important ones. So she kneels on the ground, scoots closer to him, and says with the most cheerful voice she can muster, "Of course! So tell me, what game are we playing?"

xxx

Two weeks later

It's been two weeks, and they already have a target. This time, there was no argument over whether or not they should keep stealing and fighting. They won't let Cora win, despite Amelia's death, despite the threats above their heads, despite the risk that any person they encounter could be controlled by the witch. Truth be told, they need it. They need action, the adrenaline, to keep their minds busy. And well, it's a war, better die fighting than tied up in a dungeon, isn't it?

Although for this specific target, they have a particular motivation.

They're still against the idea of revenge, but it's boiling in them, making the ones responsible for Amelia's death pay. So maybe,  _just maybe_ , this time, it's not only about showing the Evil Queen that they're still here.

Of course, they want to prove that she hasn't destroyed them, that everything she does give more fire to their willpower, feed their vow to protect others, even if they have to suffer some losses in the process. But it's also about someone else, because Cora may have given the order, but she wasn't the direct executor.

At the same time, even if they're not sure that she was telling the truth, Zelena's assurance that her mother wouldn't come directly after Regina, helped their resolve to go through this plan and continue their mission.

If the Queen wants to take her time, better use it to make a few damages on her side.

Colin heard about this man going through Sherwood to attend a dinner at the royal palace. What better way than to send a message along with him? From what Regina told them -she's known him a long time, the traveler is someone close to Cora, someone who's been her 'friend' for years, even since Regina was a child. He's a man who bows to Cora's will without flinching, especially when it means spreading pain and death -they've heard about his misdeeds a few times already.

Someone who doesn't care about anyone's life, but his own.

He's a powerful man, coming from a long lineage of fearless and feared powerful earls. Their fortune was built on people' blood, on their dead bodies piled up and burned. A fortune that, for a small part at least, will go back to the kingdom's villagers tonight, thanks to the Merry Men.

As reckless as their action seems to be, it is  _not_. They changed their tactic. It's not the usual arrow landing in front of the carriage to make it stop, signing the forfeit. This time, it's a set-up. Two Merry Men lying on the ground in the middle of the road as if they were victims of an accident, blocking the way -because they're not so naïve to believe this man will help random and injured villagers willingly. To make sure there is no trap, they wait for the carriage's door to open, so they can spot who is inside, and stay hidden until the last minute.

When they are sure there is nothing else, no one else other than the guards who are ruthlessly pushing at their friends' bodies, and their target, then, and  _only_  then they are taking them by surprise. They jump down from the trees they were hiding in, and come out from the bushes along the road, weapons ready, cloaks on. They disarm the guards quickly even if they try to resist, each soldier ending with a blade under his throat, and then the Merry Men rush inside to force their main target to show up.

Regina grits her teeth. She knows this man, always has, never liked him. Arrogant and brutal, gaze roaming over her since the first day her body started to change into the one of a woman, he always made her feel uncomfortable.

But not today. Today, she's the one with power, and she already warned her friends about what she's going to do. This time, they didn't protest. If anything, they agreed with her plan. Mostly because they are here to protect her, but also because the man's reputation carries as much death as Cora's, and now it includes the one of their friend.

Exactly the reason why Little John is not here today.

Alan takes away the sword tucked at their prisoner's belt, and pushes him towards the center of the circle they're forming around him. Confused but not showing any fear, instead looking at them with disgust, the man slowly watches every hidden figure he's facing.

Until one of them steps forward.

Regina lowers her bow, and removes her hood, discovering her face.

"Guy de Gisborne," she greets flatly. "It's been a while."

There is no surprise in the man's eyes when he obviously recognizes her.

"Regina. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Oh, you know very well the answer to this!"

"I might have an idea, indeed." he smiles wickedly. "What's her name already? Oh, right! Amelia, is it?" In front of the deep silence suddenly surrounding him and the glare Regina is throwing at him, his grin widens. "That's what I thought. Where is she? Did she tell you everything I did to her? Does she know how much I enjoyed taking care of her, that I reveled in her screams and the blood leaking from the wounds I inflicted her?"

Regina tenses at his words, clenching her fists, sees the smile on his face as he notices, the madness of his features growing. She forces herself to hold back, to ease the tingling in her fingers, stronger than usual, the amount of rage building inside her, invading her heart, her chest, her mind, her entire body and soul. She almost chokes on it as she loses control for a second and it threatens to escape, but she swallows dryly, exhales deeply, digs her fingernails into her palms so the physical pain takes over the emotional one, until she's emptied her lungs and body of the overwhelming hatred she feels.

"You know she couldn't."

"I guess that she didn't make it. What a shame!" de Gisborne sneers. "But I have a question. How did you get her back? She disappeared from her dungeon without a trace, and I know for sure that your mother didn't free her."

"As if I would answer this."

"I had a gut feeling you wouldn't. You can't blame me for trying. But let's pass the worldliness. We've never been fond of those, you and I."

He takes a step forward, and Regina sees Robin flinch to her side, but she quietly raises a hand to stop his intervention, instead looks at her opponent with hard eyes, not moving another finger when he keeps closing the distance between them.

"Even under these rags, I can tell you're a beautiful woman. You have no idea how badly I wish I could have you. I promised your mother I was ready to take you if Leopold wasn't up for it. She admitted that after having seen what you became, she decided to give you to me after getting rid of your dear husband. Too bad your sister didn't let her finish him. I would have loved to tame your wild temper," he whispers, leaning forward, his implication pretty clear.

She would've ended up tied up to a wall, starved and beaten, probably being raped every other hour, tortured, until her body was so sore and her mind so broken she would've begged for release, for death to take her. Because she knows for certain she would've never bowed to his wishes, would've never been his willing and obedient pet.

Regina holds his gaze when he raises a hand to brush her cheek, but she stops him before he reaches her. She grips his fingers firmly, twisting them so she's close to breaking them, the angle of his wrist so narrow that the back of his hand is almost touching his arm, despite the resistance he tries to give, but she caught him by surprise, and is not releasing him in the slightest.

She feels his bones shake and clatter against each other, sees Guy's face twisted in pain as they're on the edge of shattering in pieces, but she doesn't let him go, uses the strength coming from her disgust for him and the slight, this time distant, sensation growing again, to tighten her grip. She brings her face closer to him, her voice low and threatening.

"I bet no woman ever managed to overpower you, exception made of my mother."

"Not even her," he mutters between gritted teeth and clenched jaw.

"Allow me be the first one then!"

Without another warning, her fist collides with his face as she releases the pressure on his fingers, sending him backward with a shout and a hand over his bleeding and broken nose.

"You little whore!" He spits forcefully, straightening his spine after recovering his spirit. "I'm going to make you pay for that!"

But Regina is ready.

She has taken a step back, and her sword is in her hand. She nods at Alan, and he throws Gisborne's sword at his feet, surprising him, halting his angry walk towards her.

"What is this?" he questions warily, bending to grab the weapon but his eyes are stuck on Regina, alert, suspicious.

"Exactly what it looks like," she announces calmly, shrugging a shoulder. "A duel."

She tilts her head in a way that makes him understand to get in position, and he does.

"This is between you and me," Regina explains when he glances at the Merry Men, still and silent around them, some with their swords pressed against his guards' throats. "They won't step in."

"Unless I'm about to kill you."

"Well, I never promised it would end well for you," she replies with a smirk, before slightly jumping forward, the tip of her sword brushing his, and he gets the message.

They exchange a few blows, nothing important, nothing really strong, each blocking the other's attack. Each testing the other. He's a good opponent, Regina notices. Effective, strong, reactive. But yet, she already knew it, heard him talk about his training and saw him a couple of times in her yard when she was but a teenager.

Today, she wants to fight him. She wants to humiliate him, because she knows his arrogance, how he thinks women are weak, not worthy or equal to men. She wants to prove him wrong. She doesn't know if she can beat him, has never confronted him before, but she's sure as hell going to try, and put all her heart in this.

But then he sets up the pace.

He surprises her by stepping to the side unexpectedly, and attacks her at the ribs, manages to cut her clothes, but she moves away just in time. She feels the blade graze her skin, but it doesn't touch her. She pares the next blow Gisborne aims directly at her head, plunging from above, her left hand coming to help her right one support the weight of his sword and strength, as he's ready to slice her through. She struggles for a moment, none of them ready to give up, but she's not that easy to defeat, and she's resourceful.

Her foot collides with his abdomen, knocking the air out of him, pushing him away from her. He almost falls backward with the shock and surprise, almost releases the blade in the process. His eyes are on her, full of madness and fury despite his labored and erratic breath as he tries to recover.

She lets him, because this is only the beginning. She's not done with him yet.

Regina takes a step forward, and he straightens immediately, still having trouble breathing, but she just gave him the signal that the fight is on again. She moves in circle, forcing him to do the same so he faces her all the time. When she attacks, he has recovered, blocks her immediately before throwing several blows in a row. Regina has to walk backward, begins to lose control when both the speed and force of his attacks increase.

So she does something very risky given the circumstances.

She gets out of the way.

In order to do that, she bends in half and moves quickly below the blade as it slices the air where her chest was a second before, only rises again when she's facing his side. She spins on herself in his direction until her shoulder meets his, and the hilt of her sword collides with his back.

Hard.

So hard he can't help but fall on his knees, a rough cry of pain escaping his lips as his blade falls on the floor soundly. Regina doesn't lose a second. She positions herself in front of him, the tip of her weapon underneath his chin, watching his face screwed up in pain, holding himself where she just knocked him.

"Are you ready to do this, Regina?" he manages, challenging. "I heard killing is not your forte. Would you willingly take my life while I'm on my knees?"

"Who said I wanted you dead?"

But instead of answering, Gisborne grabs his weapon, just resting an inch from his hand, and swings it in front of him without a warning, forcing Regina to jump back, using her surprise to get up again, facing her from all his height. Regina looks him square in the eyes. He's more resourceful than she thought he would. But it doesn't mean she can't beat him. She's not tired enough to give up. Won't, anyway, not ever. She has a point to make and she will!

Except he uses that second of reflection to turn on the fight again, thrusting forward. He chases her with large blows, the sound of their blades clashing against each other permanent now. That's how he gets her.

He jumps closer so suddenly, aiming his next attack to her head, that Regina doesn't react in time, has no other choice but to block him by staying rooted on spot. It results in the collision of the metallic weapons just next to her ear, the sound so deafening she can feel her eardrum vibrate and almost shatter, and her reflex is immediate.

She lets her blade fall to the floor, her hand covering her still throbbing ear, fighting against the dizziness rendering her world suddenly spinning. She can't prevent her eyes to screw shut, or the small scream that escapes her lips.

He's behind her in no time.

His front is pressed to her back, one arm holding hers folded against her chest, his blade against her throat. It takes her a moment to realize, but when she does, it's with the sound of his voice whispering so close to her other ear that she can smell the sale taste of his breath.

"You have no idea how much I would love to enjoy this wonderful body of yours." He punctuates his words with a grind of his pelvis against her rear. "This is such a waste I have to slice your throat. I know your friends won't let me go, but at least I'll die with the satisfaction that I took you with me. I can't say the same about you."

She's calmed her tense nerves and heartbeat during his speech, put the pain aside, the growing sensation, because she wants to do it by her own rules. So she centers herself, focuses on the way his body moves with hers, on every flaw she can find. The last time she found herself in that position, it was no real fight, but this is.

She's not pressing her heel to his foot.

No, this time, she hits right in his knee. It's a very dangerous move with the blade still close to her throat, but she pounds the back of her head into his broken nose, using the action both to make him scream in pain and to put as much distance between the sharp tool and her skin as possible. One of her hands grips the wrist holding the blade, the other the arm that released her when she knocked him, her rear bumping into his hips as she bends forward and sends him to the ground in front of her.

Guy de Gisborne loses his blade in the process, but not his mind.

He manages to catch her as he falls forward, and Regina can feel her body being lifted in the air, rolling until her back hits the hard ground, making her head pound with the violence of the shock. He's on top of her, a devilish grin on his lips, but she won't let him get away so easily.

Her knee crashes between his opened thighs with so much strength she has no problem flipping him onto his back, a strangled scream of pain still escaping his throat when she reaches for the dagger she always has safely tucked at her belt, and presses it against his pulse, breathless, her free hand pining one of his above his head. She pushes the blade enough that a slight trickle of blood appears where the skin is cut, calling for her to deepen the small wound, to let the blood flow. It could be so easy. Just pressing a little more, and it would be the end. Amelia, and all the others he has tortured and killed, would be avenged. One of her mother's first supporters would be dead. It's an interesting prospect that would make things easier for all of them.

Or maybe not.

Because despite the temptation, despite the way he dares her to continue, to go on, to kill him, telling her he knows she  _wants_  to, despite the tingling in her fingers, the voice in her head screaming at her and urging her to let go and accept her anger, Regina doesn't cross the line.

"I want you to deliver a message to my mother," she says in a confident voice, though a bit breathless, still fighting the resentment boiling in her. His glare is more than an answer, so she continues, "You tell her that she won't break me. I won't give up. I will fight her until my last  _breath_ , no matter what she puts me through. I will never surrender, just as the people of both Kingdoms."

"Do you really think she will leave you alone after that touching speech?" Gisborne chuckles humorlessly, a provocation, and he swallows heavily when Regina gives the blade a light push, just enough to shush him and make her point.

"I know she won't. I just think it's better if she knows who she's dealing with."

Without a warning, she removes the dagger from his throat, and in one swift movement, cuts his left cheek on half his length, earning another guttural growl from him. It's not deep enough that she pierced through it, but it will for sure leave a scar.

"A little souvenir from our encounter, so you can remember how it feels like to be tamed by a woman." Arching a brow, she adds, smirking. "And I think it fits that nose."

Regina's on her feet a second later, grabbing the bow and arrow Robin holds for her, drawing it and aiming at the man still lying on the floor and holding his cheek.

"Thank you for your gold. We'll make good use of it," Regina says strongly, watching him move from the ground and onto his feet.

One of the Merry Men comes behind him and wraps a rope around his waist and wrists, making sure it's solid enough he won't be able to untie it.

"I promise you, I will make you regret this day, Regina." he threatens.

Guy de Gisborne is unceremoniously thrown into his carriage with the four guards who were accompanying him, all restrained as he is. The coachman is set on his seat again, his bounds allowing him just enough moves to steer the horses, but not enough to free himself.

They've disappeared at the next corner for at least a full minute when the Merry Men start to move again.

"That man is a true delight!" Eric exclaims, startling everyone.

"And this was nothing," Regina agrees. "He was less vulgar and arrogant than I remember."

She leans back against Robin's chest when she feels his presence behind her, links their fingers when he slides his hands around her waist to rest on her stomach, turning her face slightly to the side so he presses a kiss to her temple.

"You have no idea how hard it was to watch you with him without being able to intervene," he breathes in her ear, but it's loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I know," she admits in a sigh, closing her eyes and pressing herself further back into his hold. "Thank you for letting me deal with him alone."

"Do you think we should expect a move from your mother after that?" Arthur asks warily.

Regina turns her head to look at him, and she shrugs.

"Probably. But as we said, whatever she does, we won't let her get away with it. She strikes, we do too. We may not use the same methods, and she's making way more damage than we are, but I know her. She doesn't care about anyone but her, so killing people wouldn't be very effective even if it was an option. Hitting her pride though... Challenging her. Being brave enough to stand up to her, is something she has in horror. There will be retaliation, and I have no idea what it will be. But things can't be worse than if we were just bending to her will."

* * *

_Present_

_Regina leans back a little bit, stretches her legs, massages them slowly. She's not yet at the end of this pregnancy but she already feels huge and uncomfortable. Although despite the swollen ankles, back pain and tiredness, she wouldn't change anything. This child is everything she ever wanted, and she will be the most loving mother it could ever dream of._

" _For days, we waited, anxious, for my mother to do something. We were on edge, trying to hide it the best we could, but no one was blind. Anyway, we kept ourselves busy. Some men went to give the money from Gisborne to families in need, and others went to the monastery with the priests, to get things ready so they could go back as soon as possible._

_Me? I stayed at the camp. I took care of all the teaching my friends couldn't do since they weren't here, and I was there for Connor and Little John. I let them share some precious father and son time often though, because after losing Amelia, Connor needed his father and John had to focus on his son and create a routine for the both of them, to show him he was his first priority. I thought it was necessary they spent some time alone, to have some privacy. But I was present whenever they asked for me. To play, to force Connor to finish his meals -he always listened to me more than his own parents when it came to food, we never understood why-, to bathe him sometimes. I cleaned their tent and washed their clothes. It was a lot of work, but I didn't mind. They were my friends, and they needed me, and I was ready to do everything in my power to make their lives easier."_

* * *

A week later

Regina watches the priests and her friends walk through the camp's door, She can feel the twist of her guts, can't help feeling uncomfortable with this, them going outside every day, but there's nothing she can do about it. It's been more than three months, the monastery is safe now. Rowan and Arthur went there weeks ago to check the surroundings and they came back with the absolute certainty that no one has been there in a while. No traces of recent footsteps, the bodies scattered and eaten by wild animals and bugs, rats everywhere, nature invading the place again.

There is a lot to do, a lot of men to take care of. So many people whose bodies have been left to the wolves and jackals. Several weeks won't be too much to properly take care of them and clean the place. But it's hard. The smell has made more than one man step back and empty their stomach. The sight has forced several of them look away. The putrefaction of the corpses has worked its way into their minds, and they had to fight with all their might not to turn their back and leave.

But they didn't. Innocents were dead, and needed to be cremated -the friars' tradition- with honor and respect, to wipe away the horrible truth of their deaths.

They had been slaughtered.

Disemboweled.

Cut into pieces.

To the name of what? Of who? A woman whose pride has been hurt. A man eager to spread death. A King too vile to care about anyone else but himself.

In the name of revenge.

Revenge.

Something they all feel, deep down, wherever they come from, whoever they are. Something they all want to give into.

But they won't.

They know better. They  _are_ better.

So they rebuild. Together. Despite the smell, the sight, the body parts everywhere.

They cremate, and rebuild, because this is the only way to survive and come back from this hell.

They know there is a risk Cora will come back for them, but it's been months. It's been months, and the friars want to go home, to go back to that life where they will wipe that woman's sins from their minds.

By respect for the friars and to spare them the sight of their brothers, the Merry Men went alone first, cleaned then wrapped the corpses in white immaculate sheets and carried them on funeral pyres. Only the day they were cremated the priests came back. Regina went with them. She, Robin, Tuck, and every Merry Man quietly stood in front of the fires lit up to turn to ashes the innocent dead men.

Since then, a few Merry Men and some of the kids -the older ones, and only those who volunteered- accompany the friars every morning to the monastery, and come back with them every evening.

Even though Tuck won't go back with them, at least not yet, he's the only Merry Man spending all of his days there -the others go in turns. They work together, day after day. In a few weeks, they will leave and settle back into their home.

Meanwhile, Regina stays behind at the camp. Not because it's too risky to be out there, Robin is goes sometimes after all, and his life is more at stake than hers. But because Connor asks for her regularly during the day, and she'll be damned if she puts him second once again. Also, they have a lot of work to do to extend the place, and whenever she has time between training lessons and the little boy, she goes to help. Settling new traps and warnings around the camp and adding another part to it is requesting a lot of work, and all help is welcomed.

For now though, Connor is playing hide and seek with his father while she's giving a lesson to a lost child. She can catch a glimpse of father and son when she looks over her shoulder, can't fight the smile growing on her lips at the sight, the love emanating from them, their complicity despite the latest events, despite the shadow and memory of Amelia's death still strong and present.

"Like this?"

She turns her head to look at Jonas, takes from his hands the bow he's trying to make.

Alan is his teacher, but he's gone today, so at his request Regina is helping the boy to finish making his first weapon, has watched him focus and furrow his brow in concentration while he was tying the string tightly enough to bend the wood.

She holds the bow in front of her, pulls on the string carefully, not as hard as she's used to with hers, this one is made for a child after all. It's not that bad, but she notices one of the nods is loose enough that if Jonas puts too much strength on it, it will detach in no time.

"Almost." She rests the weapon on her lap, points the flaw to the boy. "Look. Your nods need to be strong enough that they won't break, no matter how strongly you pull on your string. You need to tighten this one."

Taking his work from her, Jonas attempts to do as told, biting his lower lip, and looking just adorable in his cuteness. She waves a hand through his short hair tenderly, settles her hand at the nape of his neck and waits for him to finish and raise unsure but proud eyes at her.

"Is it better?"

One expert glance is enough for her to smile widely and nod, squeezing his shoulder softly, rising from her space on the bench.

"Come on! Let's try this!"

Jonas gives her a surprised look, eyes wide. "Now?"

"Yes, why not? Would you rather wait?"

"I don't know," he shrugs, and then explains shyly "I thought I wasn't old enough to start practicing. Alan never said I could-"

"Well," Regina cuts him, holding her hand for him to take, urging him on his feet and leading him towards the practice targets. "Alan told  _me_  that if your bow was finished today, it was time for you to have your first lesson. Your age doesn't matter, Jonas. You only have to want it." She crouches in front of the boy, takes both his hesitant hands in hers, locking their gazes. "Do you want to try? There is no wrong answer. If you don't feel ready, it's alright, this is your decision, not ours."

She sees him hesitate, look behind her at what she knows is the target, then down at the bow they're both holding, and finally up at her again.

"Okay," he breathes hesitantly.

"Are you sure?"

Jonas swallows, but nods. "Yes. I want to try."

Regina gives his fingers an encouraging squeeze, and smiles widely at him, reassuring, before getting up.

"First things first then. The position. How would you hold your bow?"

xxx

"Gina!"

She barely has time to turn around when a very excited three year-old little boy crashes against her legs, making her almost lose her balance, supporting herself to the -thankfully- very near tree so she won't fall on Jonas, who is putting all the arrows he used back into the practice quivers, the lesson being over.

"Hey you!" Regina exclaims, bending down to lift the toddler from the floor. "How many times has you father told you not to run up to me like this? You almost made me fall," she scowls him softly, smiling when he giggles sheepishly, powerless to resist the need to press a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"You play with me? Papa say you can now."

Her low chuckle echoes his own, and the one of Little John, joining them, a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry. He's been asking for you for a while, and I've been trying to keep him busy enough so you could at least finish your lesson with Jonas. But as soon as he saw him clean up everything, there was nothing more I could do."

"It's okay," Regina shrugs, adjusting Connor on her hip "We were almost done." And then turns to the older boy. "Do you have questions, Jonas? Anything you want me to clear while we're still here?"

Shaking his head and throwing his bow over his shoulder, the result a bit comical because he's never done it before, tried to copy the way he sees the adults do but failing, the wooden arc almost hitting him in the head, he replies with as much confidence as a ten year-old can muster "Nope! Think I'm fine! Vanda and Mr. Henry are gonna start the spelling class, I don't want to miss it."

Chuckling softly, Regina cards her fingers through his short hair, then cups his chin affectionately. "Go ahead! You did a good job today."

His " _Thanks, R'gina_ " -he never pronounced her name correctly, but she doesn't mind, finds it quite cute actually- is thrown over his shoulder when he starts running towards the other side of the camp at an increasing speed.

"Gina!" Connor insists, reminding his presence, wriggling in her arms until she puts him down "Play!"

He grabs her hand and leads her towards the center of the camp, attempting to run but she holds him back, slowing their pace, telling him to walk instead of run.

"Did he take his nap?" she questions Little John almost breathlessly, Connor having forgotten already her request for a slow walk.

"No," the man confesses, tilting his chin towards his son. "As you can see, he has more energy than you and me both. He refused when I mentioned it."

Getting the message, Regina waits until they come to a stop in front of a pile of cubes she recognizes as one of the games she made for him the year prior.

Before he sits on the ground, Regina pulls at his hand, crouches to his level, his excited eyes staring at her impatiently, glancing regularly at the toys, so she cups his chin gently to focus his attention on her.

"Connor, sweetheart. Your daddy and I are going to play with you for a little while, but then I want you to get some rest, okay? You didn't nap today, and you don't want to be all tired and cranky before it's even night time, do you?"

The way he shakes his head eagerly while pulling at her hand and sitting on the floor, his attention back on the toys, makes her question the fact that he really registered what she told him. But she knows a good story and some cuddles will be effective enough to have him keen over within fifteen minutes, so she lets it go.

For a time, she enjoys this moment with him, with John, the two of them answering Connor's request to build a fort to defend the camp. She laughs heartily, watching the little boy move briskly from one side of the construction to the other, putting as much care in his work as Jonas did during his lesson with her.

Her hand is rubbing the child's back softly, when Regina notices his eyelids becoming heavier, threatening to close, the way Connor fights with all he has to keep them open.

"Alright, sweetheart! Remember what I told you before we started this game?" She grabs his chin between two fingers, lifting his head lightly from the ground to catch his attention.

Even his nod is sleepy, and he releases the cube he's holding, rubs his eyes with one hand, stretching the other one towards her so she takes him in her arms.

"Do you want your father to tuck you in?" she questions softly, pushing a strand of hair away from his forehead when he leans his cheek against her shoulder. He shakes his head, the small hand he has secured around her neck gripping a handful of hair.

She lets Little John kiss his boy's head, and accompany her to his tent. He holds the flap open so she can keep her arms around Connor, but stays outside, gives her some private time with his son. The boy needs this more and more often lately, the maternal touch, her presence to fall asleep. She's not his mother, and he mentioned Amelia several times since her death, even to her. But another one of the reasons Little John requested her help with him was that she was the only one able to soothe his son's anxiety, especially when it came to his mother's disappearance. She's the only other person he listens to, sometimes even more obediently than to his own father.

Regina helps Connor out of his dirty clothes, puts on the sleeping ones, and lets him slip under the cover. He snuggles against her almost immediately when she lies down next to him, his eyes already half closed. No need for a story this time, he's exhausted.

Her lips press a soft kiss to his brow, one of her hands stroking his shoulder softly. She stays there for a moment, his body becoming heavier against hers with every passing minute. She doesn't even realize that she closed her eyes too, but the tiredness that she felt increasing over the last days suddenly takes over her as her body relaxes on the mattress, and pulls her under shortly after.

She wakes up to a soft brush of her cheek, making her shiver. She hears her name, but it's not clear, her mind a bit foggy, sleepy. She rolls onto her back, hits something she can't quite identify with her eyes closed, so she forces them open, blinking several times to get rid of the remnant of sleep.

"Hey…"

She recognizes Robin's voice before her vision is clear, and she smiles, leaning into her husband's touch, humming softly in answer, letting her eyelids fall again.

"Come on, Regina. Wake up."

His voice is gentle, but the pressure on her cheek a bit more insistent as he moves on the mattress, making her realize that it was his body she collided with seconds before. She rubs her eyes, exhales softly, and then meets his blue orbs, smiling dimples.

And remembers that she's not in their bed, judging by the size of it.

"Connor?" she manages to question, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"He's with his father. He woke up a while ago, but John wanted to let you get some rest, so he took him outside."

She mutters a  _That's nice of him_  while she rises on her elbow, her husband helping her sit, kissing her forehead. Regina swallows heavily, fighting the nausea and dizziness which suddenly appeared at the change of position.

"When did you finish work?"

She leans against his chest, closing her eyes again, but this time she just takes a moment to fully wake up, listens to the strong beating of his heart, to the words resonating against her ear.

"A few minutes ago. John told me you were here."

"How's it going? The construction, I mean. I spent more time setting the traps than working there this week."

"It's almost finished. The extension of the camp should be done by the end of the month, if everything goes well."

"Good."

She takes a deep breath in, then out. Another one. When she gets up, she's almost steady, supporting herself on Robin's arm to catch her balance, but she's awake.

"Regina?"

She looks up at Robin, smiling softly, "Hmm?"

"There's someone who wants to see us."

She catches his cautious tone immediately, and frowns at him. "Who?"

He's been leading her outside the tent as they were speaking, and she just has to turn her head to have her answer. She instantly freezes, Robin almost colliding with her back.

"What is she doing here?"

She told her husband about her last encounter with the fairy, so he knows that Regina's hard feelings towards her wavered a little, but not enough so that she's totally swallowed the last news she received.

"She has learned something she wishes to talk to us about."

The Blue Fairy greets her with an uncomfortable smile, noticing the young woman's attitude, and Regina just nods, leads her husband and the fairy to a secluded place in the camp -a rare thing lately.

"I'm listening," Regina states simply.

"This is bad news I'm afraid," the fairy starts. "I know you're still working on a plan to get to your mother and use the bean I gave you." Regina nods firmly. "I also know that despite everything, you don't want to be responsible for her death."

"That's correct."

"Unfortunately, I've been informed that both wishes can't be granted at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Regina asks, stepping forward.

"I've known for a while, but with everything that happened to you and your friends since I learned this fact, I thought it was best to wait before telling you."

"Then tell me!"

"Your mother, Regina," the fairy starts slowly. "She doesn't have a heart."

"That much is quite obvious," Regina answers with annoyance, rolling her eyes.

"No. I mean, her heart isn't in her chest."

Robin moves next to his wife, eyes wide with shock "How is that possible?"

"It appears she pulled it out a long time ago, to protect herself it seems. It's safely kept in a place hidden from my knowledge, but one of the fairies sent to keep an eye on Cora heard her talking about it with someone."

"Who?"

"Guy de Gisborne."

xxx

Two months before

Cora moves away from the man, swinging her legs to sit at the edge of the bed, getting up and walking away.

She retrieves her undergarment, that was thrown across the room at some point, puts it on as she hears the man roll over in bed, feeling his gaze roaming over her body.

"You know," Guy de Gisborne says, "you could spend a little more time in bed with me, I'm not as exhausted as to pass on some more activities," he adds smugly.

Cora chuckles, rolling her eyes even though she has her back on him.

"As much as I enjoy our," she cranes her neck to give him a smirk, " _activities_ , I do have a kingdom to rule."

"Ah! Yes, there is that." Gisborne scoffs, starting to remove the covers and rising from bed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cora questions suddenly, tugging her dress down and turning around swiftly.

Guy laughs wickedly, grabbing his pants and beginning to put them on. "Oh, my dear Majesty, you're interested in me again now?" he teases, enjoying way too much the look of offense on Cora's face. "Come on, you know what I mean! Given how fast you're killing people and destroying villages, soon you won't have anything left to rule."

Cora lifts her hand in his direction, choking him slowly as she joins him. "Don't you dare, Guy! Do I have to remind you that you have no problem taking part in the killings?"

Despite his current situation, the man answers boldly, though with a strangled voice, "I prefer torture, if you don't mind."

Huffing out a breath, Cora releases him, turning away from him almost immediately.

"Why do you think I gave you full access to the dungeons and the prisoners? You're making yourself very useful down there."

The man walks to Cora, winds his arms around her waist, pulls her against his bare chest, startling her.

"What are you doing?" She asks forcefully.

His lips close against her pulse, halting her breathing for a second.

"Making myself useful somewhere else. You're a very desirable woman, you know that?"

Annoyed, Cora pushes at his hands, stepping out of his embrace.

"And you're a flatterer, but we're done for today."

"Come on!" he calls. "You really are heartless!"

Cora chuckles wickedly, glancing at him, "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be known as the Evil Queen. You don't need a heart to be the head of a kingdom. And it avoids me unfortunate excess of guilt, remorse or, even worse," she spits the word over her shoulder,  _"love."_

The man freezes, his brow furrowing, asking carefully "Wait! Are you serious? Do you mean that you-"

"Pulled out my heart?" Cora questions nonchalantly. "Yes, I did, years ago. It's been kept somewhere safe ever since." She goes back to tying a necklace with a large diamond around her neck, when she hears his astonished voice.

"Why would you do something like that?"

She gets up from the chair facing her vanity, locks their eyes, and shrugs a shoulder.

"A heart makes you vulnerable. It stops you from making the right decision. It can be used against you. Without mine, I am stronger. I don't think twice before doing what has to be done. It avoids me futilities, like," she rolls her eyes, saying dramatically, " _falling in love_. I'm not my daughter, Guy, this kind of thing is of no interest to me." Cora rests a hand on his chest softly, "I enjoy having sex with you, it's very entertaining." And then she pulls back and away from him, heading for the door, declaring over her shoulder, "But do not expect more, because if you are, then you're wasting your time."

xxx

Regina and Robin stay stunned for a moment, letting the news sink in, realizing the information they just received.

"She's sleeping with that pig?" Regina questions, the tone she uses rendering the answer unnecessary. "When I thought the two of them couldn't disgust me more." She shakes her head, refocuses on the conversation, pushing away the images implanted in her mind. "How does this change our plans?" She asks with a neutral voice.

"In a magical land, as long as your heart beats, wherever it is, you can live. However, this rule doesn't work in a land without magic. If your mother goes through the portal, it is very likely that she will die the moment her magic leaves her."

"And I'll be responsible for her death just as surely as if I had killed her myself," Regina speaks to herself, contemplating.

The fairy nods, but doesn't say anything else. She lets the woman to her thoughts, her brain working at fast speed, her gaze errand to the floor, brow knitted in concentration. Robin is next to her, a hand between her shoulder blades, knowing the tantrum his wife must be going through. He still thinks Regina is too merciful regarding her mother, but he also understands her reasons. He never had a cruel parent, but his taught him to look at others with compassion instead of hate. Although Cora is the reason why he broke that rule, and even if slicing the woman's throat is something he deeply wishes, he knows that's not who he is. He knows that's not right.

"Do you think you can find where it is hidden?" Regina suddenly looks up at the fairy.

"It could be anywhere, but I sent some fairies to look for it the day I learned about this. They've come back empty handed for now, but there's still a lot of ground to cover."

"Alright. Find its location, and then leave the rest up to me."

"Regina," Robin turns her towards him, looks at her with a furrowed brow. "What are you thinking of?"

"We need to find that heart. Once we know where it is, I'll go retrieve it. Then I can use it as leverage against my mother, ask for a confrontation. When I'm in front of her, I'll find a way to end this madness once and for all."

Her voice is calm but firm, her posture straight, her chin up. She's determined, won't bulge from her decision. And yet, Robin can't help but exclaim, dumbfounded, "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"You want to confront your mother on your own?"

"If that's what it takes to get rid of her."

He huffs a deep breath, steps away from her, a hand raking through his hair nervously.

"And you don't care about the consequences?" He swirls around, his tone suddenly reproachful, and she tilts her head to the side.

"She could be out of our lives for good, Robin," she tries to explain. "I think it's worth it!"

"Not if it costs you your life! We have no idea if this will work. You could end up dead and she'd still be in power, and then what would we do?"

Regina narrows her eyes, her voice fierce. "Glad to see you have so little faith in me."

"That's not what I meant, Regina." Robin sighs. "You told me, all those years, that you ran away from her because of her magic, because you had no way to stop her."

"I do now."

"It doesn't mean she will let you. The reason why we still haven't used that bean is because getting close to her is too dangerous, impossible even. Because we knew she would have no problem killing us all. What changed?"

" _I_  changed, Robin.  _I_  am ready now, and I'm tired of all this. If I have to lose my life so you can all be safe, then so be it."

She sees the pain in his eyes immediately, the way he takes a step back, how his breath suddenly gets struck in his throat. She watches him open his mouth to speak, and then he closes it, looks away.

Swallows back a sob.

Blinks back a tear.

Then meets her eyes again.

"I know you don't want me to control your life, but I hoped you would at least consider me when you took such an important decision."

Realization dawns upon her, and her eyes open wide when she understands the meaning behind his words.

She takes a step in his direction, her tone entirely different now, almost pleading, "Robin-"

"You want to give your life so we are safe. But what good will your death do to us? To me? To Connor?" She flinches at the boy's name. "To everyone in this camp. Being a hero doesn't necessarily mean dying as one. You keep saying death isn't the answer. Explain to me how yours fits that rule? How can it be  _right_?"

She wants to look down. She wants to advert his gaze, but the blue color of his eyes is piercing right through her, hitting something she can't quite put a name on, but Regina knows it feels right. She knows Robin is right.

"I honestly don't give a damn if that witch burns in hell, Regina. But you're my wife, and I love you, and I'm not about to lose you because you are  _everything_."

He's taken a step towards her, closing the distance, his fingers reaching for hers, lacing. She doesn't answer, just looks at him with tearful eyes, her heart beating frantically in her chest, her breath short.

"I'm going to try to locate your mother's heart, Regina." The fairy's soft voice make them jump, but they keep their hands joined, just step out of their daze to give her their attention. "In the meantime, decide what you want to do."

And because the guilt has replaced the anger, Regina addresses the fairy with all the sincerity she has in her, "Thank you."

* * *

_Present_

" _The Blue Fairy left us in a melancholic state of mind," Regina explains, thoughtful._

" _Robin and I needed some time and privacy to digest the news before announcing to our friends that another obstacle was standing in our way. We both needed to be reminded why we were doing this. So it's from a common accord, which didn't require words, that we walked together to our child's grave._

_And yours._

_Because even though Robin had never met you,_ you _were the first victim in all this._

You _were the reason I left in the first place. If it wasn't for you, I would've never met him, and we wouldn't have been fighting for our freedom and our love."_


	20. The most resilient heart : Chapter 12

_Present_

" _There were so many things going on, Daniel. We were sort of overwhelmed sometimes. But we held on. We focused on ourselves first, on not letting the fear my mother inspired come between us again, like it did after the monastery attack._

_I focused on Connor a lot. He needed me, more than I had first imagined. I wasn't his mother, I never tried to replace her, but I did my best. I know Robin was at peace with the situation, me taking care of a child who wasn't our own, though I couldn't help but dread that I was hurting him, that he kept his feelings to himself, so I did everything in my power to show him how deeply I loved him."_

_She sighs, hugs herself and closes her eyes._

" _But focusing on my marriage and Connor made me forget someone else. Someone who needed me too, in his own way. Someone who didn't have anyone, and didn't dare ask for a family, but desperately needed one. Someone I was seeing every day, without truly realizing how deeply hurt and in dire need of help he was. Someone I had grown to love with everything I had in me, without him really doing anything. But the complicated situation in and outside the camp, as well as my concerns about my mother, made me put him aside. Until I had no other choice but to open my eyes to the reality of my feelings."_

* * *

Six and a half months earlier

Ten days after the Blue Fairy's visit

The book is opened in front of them, Connor sitting on her lap, the boy pointing at drawings of birds and deers and wolves every time she mentions their names. Little John is next to her, the love and affection he carries for his son an evidence in his eyes as he agrees to his good answers or corrects the mistakes.

It's a peaceful moment, an intimate one, just the three of them, both adults sharing the same love for the amazing little boy who looks up at them with pride and excitement.

Regina doesn't mind the closeness with Little John. On the contrary, she finds it necessary. For them, to learn how to parent together a child she's not the real mother of. For Connor, because he needs to feel like he's important for them, that they're united around him.

So here they are, all pressed together on a bench, focusing on the book, when Arthur walks in their perimeter, his face the one of someone with a troubled mind.

"Regina?" he calls, catching the small group's attention.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a moment? I need your help with something," Taking in the shared and calm moment he just interrupted, he adds, his voice dropping almost to a pleading, "It's kind of urgent."

Regina exchanges a glance with Little John, cards her fingers through Connor's hair, pressing a kiss on the top of his head, explaining, "Go with your father, sweetheart. I'll be back soon."

The child willingly moves into his father's arms, snuggling in his embrace as the man keeps the book open in front of them, distracting him already when Regina and Arthur move away.

"What is it?" Regina asks with concern when they're out of earshot, following Arthur as he leads her towards the lost children's area.

He walks around the tents, and stops her with a hand on her arm, tilting his head towards a log more isolated than the others, one slim silhouette sitting there, head down.

"I took Matthew to the market with me and... something happened." She frowns at him in question, glances at the boy, restraining herself from going to him, the sadness in his posture already heartbreaking. "We heard the news that his father was arrested and sentenced to death for killing his wife. Matthew's mother is dead, and his father will be too by tomorrow night."

Her hand quickly covers her mouth when it opens in horror, and Regina closes her eyes slowly, whispering as she shakes her head, "Oh my God!"

"He's pretty shaken."

"Rightfully so," she replies lowly, looking up at the kid who hasn't spotted them yet.

"I thought," she meets Arthur's eyes again, listens to his hesitant voice, "since he looks up to you, that you could maybe talk to him?"

"Of course!" she assures, starting to head to the boy's direction, but catching herself at the last second, "Can you tell John and Connor not to wait for me? It might take a while."

Her friend leaves with a nod, and she finally gives Matthew her whole attention, walking carefully towards him.

She knows his life, what he's been through. She helped him come back from it. But she also pulled away when she lost her baby, kept her distance when she felt him seek more than just a mentor. When he started asking something closer to a maternal figure. She gave him archery lessons, some advices, squeezed his shoulder kindly. But never did she give him her affection. And he might not need a mother right now, but with what happened to Connor and how her role in his life changed so drastically, with the pain of her child's loss lessening and not weighing down on her chest so heavily, she finds herself open to the possibility of being there for others.

For children.

The way she refused to with Snow too, even though she's well aware that Ruth and Johanna will give her a better education than she herself would have.

But Matthew? Matthew needs someone, and he doesn't have anyone, and she's here, finally ready.

Regina remembers Robin's words as they had started to talk about the boy, before this whole nightmare began, about the possibility to, at some point, later in their marriage, make him a part of their family. How, even after they lost their baby, her husband was still open to this possibility, to focus on someone else, someone who needed them. Someone who could be their salvation just as they could be his. But she was too wounded, too wild, to accept it.

Now? All she knows is that looking at him, at this young boy, so sad, in distress,  _alone_ , is breaking her heart.

It's simply unbearable.

If she can take away his pain, if she can bring a smile to his young face, she will. If it means opening her heart to him and allowing him in, then so be it; she's not afraid anymore.

Regina sits on the log next to him without a word, and waits. She knows he noticed her, knows he's purposely not looking at her, and she doesn't push, lets him come to her. She turns her hand on her lap, palm up. It's an invitation for the moment he's decided to talk.

It takes him another couple of minutes, but at some point, Regina sees his fingers move, and shyly, hesitantly, his palm meets hers. She closes her hand over his, but stays silent.

"She's dead."

"I know."

"Because he killed her."

"I know."

"And he'll be hung tomorrow for that."

"I know."

It doesn't take long.

The moment he bursts into tears, hot, heavy tears running down his cheeks, she turns to face him, her free hand reaching for the back of his head and bringing him to her chest. He clutches to her fingers with force, their linked hands tucked between their bodies. Her lips are pressing kisses to his temple, whispering sweet and kind words to his ear, shushing him softly. Regina rocks him back and forth, never stops scratching the back of his head soothingly.

She lets him cry, lets him empty his heart and soul out of everything he's been holding back because she wasn't here to listen and he didn't have anyone else to talk to.

Truth be told, he had a lot of people to talk to, but Matthew is a shy and wild soul, and one way or another, these lost children have a clear tendency to get attached to the person who finds them, and for Matthew that person have always been her. Not Amelia, though she has no idea why, but her.

Regina waits until the sobs run dry, until he breathes soundly in her neck. She releases the pressure on his head, reaches for a handkerchief in her back pocket, lets him blow his nose. She wipes the tears from his cheeks tenderly with her sleeve, smiling softly all the way, locking their eyes when he sheepishly looks up.

"I'm here, Matthew," she assures. "Talk to me."

At his shy nod, she straddles the log so she's facing him fully, moves a bit closer so he just has to lean forward if he wants another embrace.

He's hesitant, never really had the opportunity to truly and honestly speak with her since she came back from that fateful trip months ago.

"When I left my house, I knew I probably wouldn't see my mom and dad again. But at least they were here. I knew they were somewhere, that I had... like a family. Now I have no one."

"You're not alone, Matthew. You have a family." She runs a hand through his hair before continuing in a low voice, "You have us."

"But I..." he swallows dryly, clears his throat. "When you found me, you were so nice and... I mean, everyone here is very kind to me but... I hoped..." he looks away with something that resembles shame when he confesses in a whisper, "that you could... I don't know..." He shrugs "Replace my parents. That you and Robin could take care of me."

Regina closes her eyes, because she knew that, and his current insecurity is her fault. She cups his chin gently, guides his look to hers.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you before. Not the way you wanted. I was dealing with a lot of things, and I wasn't ready-"

"I know," he cuts her, shrugging again. "I know about your baby. I don't blame you for not wanting me."

"Matthew, no!" She exclaims. She won't let him think he's not worth it. "It was never you! Please, do not think that! You're a wonderful boy!"

"But no one wants me." He avoids looking at her again, despite her fingers still holding his face. "My father beat me. My mother threw me out-"

"She didn't throw you out!" Regina cuts him softly but firmly. "She allowed you to escape a father who was hurting you  _every_  day, and wouldn't have stopped if you stayed there. Matthew, I never met your mother but she must have loved you very much if she was strong enough to let you go. She didn't do it because you were a burden. She did it to  _protect_  you, because she wanted you to have a better life than the one you were living, because she knew she couldn't offer you that life if you stayed with her." She takes his face between her hands before saying softly, "Honey, I'm sure it broke her heart to let you go, but she sacrificed her own happiness to save you."

His eyes are shining with hope at her words, and she mentally kicks herself for having let him think for so long that he's never been loved, even by his own mother. "You really believe that?" Matthew asks, voice hopeful.

"I am certain, sweetie. You're such a nice kid!"

"But you-"

"I was trying to protect myself," she explains calmly, giving his fingers a squeeze. "I had just lost my baby. I was lost, and I was afraid that if I let you in..." She sighs, shakes her head slowly, looking up with a new resolution in her eyes. "It was selfish, but I wouldn't have been able to help you back then. I wouldn't have been able to take care of you, not the way you needed me to. I know I hurt you, I am so sorry for that, you have no idea. I just wasn't ready to love a child."

"But you love Connor," he barely breathes, a statement more than a question, the genuineness of his young age preventing him from hiding the jealousy he feels towards the little boy.

"Oh, Matthew..." Regina moves closer to him on the log, releasing his hand to take his face between hers.

"Connor... I always knew him, since the day he was born. I loved him before I even loved my husband." Before he can even argue or look away, she adds, with all the sincerity she owns, because she means it, every word. "But it doesn't mean I don't love you too."

His eyes are wide with surprise and astonishment. She never voiced it before, not to him, not to anyone. She never even told him she cared about him. Never showed him. And as the words leave her, she feels something change within her, something build. Something familiar, but different, more reminiscent of what she feels every time she looks at her husband, every time Connor is snuggled in her arms. A warm, soothing feeling invades her, washing over her, making her exhale softly and smile as the tip of her fingers tingle pleasantly. She doesn't release it, it's not strong enough for that. But this time, she enjoys it.

"You... You do?"

"Yes," she assures, smiling, thumb stroking his cheek, "I love you." She can feel the new sensation grow stronger, butterflies rising and spreading through her, easing her fears away as she continues, "I have for a long time. I wasn't ready to admit it back then, but I am now. This," she waves a hand towards the camp, "situation we're living, the war that is happening outside these walls, it complicates everything. I don't know what tomorrow is made of, I don't know if I'll still be here in the end. But I think, if you want to -and you're allowed to say no," she assures with a smile, "that we could try to make it work. Start to spend some time together, aside from your lessons with me. You could learn to know Robin better too," she offers carefully, unsure of what the boy's reaction will be, not wanting to ask for too much at the same time. "If you're up for it, that is. I know you don't know each other very well, but I'm certain that you two can have a lot of fun together."

"I'd like that," he nods shyly.

"And Matthew?" She calls again, because she has a feeling he needs her to voice it. "I'm here if you need to talk, okay? Don't keep everything to yourself."

When he nods again, she scoots closer on the log, and wraps her arms around his shoulders. Regina brings him to her chest, and he goes willingly, sighs shakily against her neck, so she tightens her grip on him. He clutches to her with less ardor than she thinks he really feels, but that's okay, she'll make sure to turn his insecurity into confidence.

She hopes Robin will accept what she just offered to this boy, but she has a gut feeling that he will welcome the idea with open arms. She knows he noticed the boy's attempts to get closer to her, and the way she willingly ignored them for months. Accepting the affection she has for him is removing a weight off her shoulders, a weight she never realized she had, and she silently prays that she'll be able to give Matthew the best of her.

As for Robin? They lost a child together, their baby, their own flesh and blood, and now she's allowed two other kids into her heart. One that he will never be the parent of. One that he was never the first choice to begin with. She hopes he won't feel offended, will accept to take care of Matthew with her the way many couples have with children they found, the way they wanted to since the beginning. Regina made the decision without him, but when thinking of it, not really. Because she remembers how his eyes were brimming with hope at the thought of giving someone a home, how disappointed he had seemed when she pushed the idea away. She has no idea if they'll be allowed to have another child together, only time will tell. But maybe, just maybe, this could be the beginning of something new and absolutely incredible for them.

Pulling back, Regina presses the warmest of kisses on Matthew's forehead, and looks at him with all the affection she can muster. "Now, I'm going to talk with Robin, tell him about what we've decided. And then, maybe you could join us for diner? Sit at our table. What do you think?"

"It's a good idea," he shrugs, but she can see the excitement in his bright eyes. She chuckles, gives his neck a little squeeze, and gets up, holding her hand for him.

"Good. Now, you should go play with your friends for a while," she nods in the older children's direction. "I'll see you when dinner is ready, alright?"

Taking her hand, he faces her, his smile a bit wider, "Alright."

xxx

Fifteen minutes later

She has explained the whole thing to her husband, the state Matthew was in when Arthur led her to him, what he learned and lost, the way she couldn't stop herself from, finally, letting him in. How it was easy, almost natural, to welcome him into her family.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've talked to you about it before, but you should've seen him, Robin!" she explains, gesturing in front of him as he's sitting on their bed, listening. "He was devastated, and I could do something, and I..." She halts her pace, turns to her husband, takes his hands in hers. "I  _wanted_  to. For the first time in months, I wanted to do this. Having a child is not frightening me anymore, and with Matthew, it felt right. But if you think it's not-"

"Regina, stop!" Robin cuts her gently, tugging at her hands. "Breathe."

She does, closes her eyes for a second, and when she opens them, Robin is smiling. He's looking at her with a bright and endless love, making the blue of his eyes shine and sparkle.

"I want this." He declares, pulling at her hands so Regina gets closer, and then straddles his lap. He winds his arms around her waist, pecks her stunned lips. "I know what we said before, after we lost Henry, how I was still in for Matthew and you weren't. I think you were right then." Regina looks at him with a puzzled expression, so he explains. "I think I was trying to fill a hole, the void our baby's loss let in my heart. But Regina, Matthew deserves better than being a surrogate for someone who will never be. If we had done it then, it wouldn't have been right. And truthfully, I also think that we needed time for ourselves. This period of time was necessary, for us to be together, to recover in private. And I also loved having you just for myself." Robin admits sheepishly, earning a slight blush and chuckle from his wife when he tightens his hold on her. "But now is the right time. Henry is forever going to be a part of our lives, but we have to move on. There's Connor, yes, but he has his own father, and Matthew... Matthew has been waiting for too long. He needs us, but I also think that  _we_  need him."

Regina smiles, bites her lower lip when she understands how this conversation will end. "So yes, my love. I'd love to take care of that little boy with you, to make him a part of our family."

The moment Regina finds herself surrounded by Robin, Matthew and Connor during dinner that day, she thinks that this motherly feeling invading her right now, is something she never wants to forget.

That blood doesn't count when it comes to  _love_.

xxx

Two weeks later

Regina wakes up to the first rays of the sun piercing through the canvas of her tent, and the feeling is there, just like it has been for the past few weeks.

A general dizziness, nausea and tiredness, despite the long hours of sleep. She closes her eyes, focusing on the warmth surrounding her.  _Robin's_  warmth. His body is pressed to her back, his arm wrapped around her waist, nose in her hair, breath tickling the skin of her neck. She sighs in contentment, burrows further back into his embrace. She likes these moments, when she's awake but everything is calm and quiet. No stress, no rush, no anguish about what is happening in the kingdom. Just  _peace_.

Pure  _intimacy_  with her husband.

She enjoys when he's still asleep, and she can just listen to the sound of his regular breathing. It's the most soothing of things.

She almost falls back asleep.

Almost.

Because another wave of nausea takes her, stronger this time. She rubs her hand over her stomach, breathes slowly, fighting the sickness, knowing it will fade in a couple of hours, but wishing for the intensity to decrease at the moment. Her eyes are screwed shut, lips pressed together, swallowing again and again, breathing as calmly and deeply as she can manage without disturbing her husband.

When it's gone, she opens her eyes, and exhales fully. Regina turns in Robin's arms, extricates herself from his hold, careful not to wake him. She presses a kiss to his forehead, and grabs a towel, clean clothes and the ointment for her bath. Usually she waits for him, but she needs it now. The fresh air of the morning before the warmth of a late spring falls over them, the still cold water... It'll help her fight these symptoms, whatever is causing them.

She's halfway to the river when it hits her.

She stops in her tracks so suddenly she almost stumbles, but her eyes are wide with realization.

As soon as she's facing the water, she puts everything on a nearby rock, and sighs. It's the only way for her to be certain without telling anyone at the camp.

"I know I haven't been the kindest to you lately," she admits, looking at the sky, "but I need to ask you something. Please! You're the only one who can help me."

It doesn't take long before she hears the small voice, and she looks up from the ground where she dropped her gaze seconds ago while waiting.

"Good morning, Regina." The Blue Fairy greets.

"Hi," Regina answers shyly, "Thank you for coming."

"Of course." Before she can voice her worries, the creature adds softly, "I know why you called me."

Regina's eyes open wide, but she shakes her head. She's a fairy, of course she must know. It's the reason why she called her. "So am I right? Am I..."

"Pregnant, yes." The fairy finishes for her.

"Oh God..." Regina whimpers, looking away with teary eyes.

This can't be happening. It  _can't_  be happening again. Not now! Not when her mother is still out there. Not when they're preparing for a big battle that she feels so close to happen. She can't lose another child. She won't survive it this time. No matter who is by her side, if her mother takes this life from her again, she won't come back from it. Either she will sink into despair so deeply even Robin will be powerless to pull her out, or she will break her vow to spare her mother's life, and will lose herself in the process. The result will be the same.

And she wants none of them.

"What am I going to do?" she questions desperately.

"The history doesn't have to repeat itself, Regina."

"But how am I going to do this? How can I be happy about this baby when I have no idea if I'll survive this war, or how long it'll be on? How can I tell my husband I am pregnant when I can't assure him that our baby is going to be okay? Matthew is safe at the camp, my mother can't hurt him, but I am not going to stay behind if something happens outside, and I can't be sure I won't be injured in the process."

She starts pacing, panic invading her now. The morning sickness is gone, replaced by fierce dread of her own condition, of the future, of what she ignores will happen.

"You must have faith, Regina," the fairy's voice comes. "You can't give up. Not now."

"I know," she sighs, stopping her pacing. "I won't. But I..." She pauses, raises her eyes to look at the fairy. "What should I do?"

"I can't make the decision for you, Regina. How you deal with this situation is up to you entirely."

The compassionate tone of Blue is answered by Regina's nod, an acknowledgement of her reply, an end to the discussion. Like she said, she has to make the decision. This is her child, her body, her life, her  _family_. She lost one already, there is no way she will let it happen again. She needs to buy herself some time, even if it means keeping the news from everyone. Even if it means Robin will not know about this child until she can't hide it anymore and he figures it out himself.

The fairy is long gone when Regina removes her clothes and walks into the water. She was right when she got up. It helps her feel better, eases her fears, even though it's only burying them beneath the surface for a short time.

She hears a soft ruffle of leaves behind her, and turns around quickly, her arms covering her front to whoever is there.

"It's me, Regina."

She sighs in relief when her husband appears in front of her, her arms falling into the water.

She can't let him know. She can't tell him, can't break his heart already with the awful thought of what might happen, what they could lose again. So she mentally rises her walls, puts the mask on, plays the game, tilts her head to the side, baring her neck to him, her smile turning into a flirty smirk.

Best way to distract him.

"It took you a while to realize I was gone."

He's already shirtless, chuckling softly and tugging at his pants when she speaks.

"Well, milady, I'm here now." He steps into the water. "How do you feel?"

"Cold." She answers playfully, reaching for his hand and pulling him to her. "Need someone to warm me up."

Robin winds his arms around her waist easily, grinning when their bodies are pressed together, nothing between them. Her hands are gripping his neck, and he just has time to breathe between them before she crashes their lips together. "Then by all mean, my love, let me be that person."

Regina presses her front to his, grasping at his nape and rising on her toes to be at his level. She seeks entrance almost immediately, his lips parting under the teasing of her tongue, and she invades his mouth, kisses him with more urge than usual. She can tell he feels the difference, because despite the obvious desire growing in him and pressing against her hipbone, he tries to tear his mouth apart from her, tries to speak between kisses, but she shuts him up. If she lets him see her right now, he will notice the worry on her face, the fear in her eyes. He will hear the strangled sobs she's swallowing, and she doesn't want that. She wants him, pulsating, in her, their bodies joined and united, making one.

"Regina-" he manages, but she pulls him to her again, answering quickly enough that he can't protest.

"It'll pass." And then lying again, knowing it's the only way he won't push later in the day "Just a bad dream."

It's a lie. Well, somehow, it isn't. Because this is happening at the worse moment of her life. But despite the fear, the dread, the twists of her guts, despite the sadness she feels while thinking of the sibling this child will never have, of all the dangers he's exposed to before even being born, she's happy. Underneath the storm of feelings she's experiencing, she can feel it, this warmth growing in her again. Hope is not there yet, she's not ready, it's too soon, but there is no way that she could ever regret this baby.

_Never_.

As expected, Robin lets his question go, instead focuses on properly distracting her. He sucks at her pulse, and it sends shivers running through her. She moans roughly, her hips bucking against his in a reflex, encouraging him to continue. One hand settles at the base of her spine, keeping her close, starting to rock against her while his tongue is teasing her. He finds that spot behind her ear that makes her knees wobbly, and she's glad he's holding her tight because it works every time.

"God, Robin..."

His free hand comes between them, finds a nipple already erected, and not just because of the cool water. He rubs it gently, makes it roll between thumb and forefinger, before stroking softly again.

Regina's hands are in his hair and on his back, gripping, fingernails digging into his skin when he makes her lose control and cry out for him. She clutches to her husband, face twisted with pleasure, feeling her core throbbing with the need of him.

"Please!" She urges, hooking an ankle behind his thigh and parting her legs willingly for him. Regina presses her center against him, rubbing herself against his more than ready length.

Robin releases the pressure of his tongue on her neck, pulling back just enough to align himself, their eyes locking. They're both breathing heavily, sweating, despite the temperature, cheeks pink with arousal and eyes dark with lust.

When he sinks into her, their lips meet again, and both his hands are on her back now, keeping her steady while he pounds into her at an increasing pace. She moans into the kiss, and he does so too, their tongues dancing a wild ballet, his thrusts deeper, harder, banging against her clit every time. They break the kiss when the need for air is too urgent to be ignored, but their foreheads are pressed together, their eyes closed so they can focus on how good it feels, how desperately they need this. Not just the sex, but the connection, the fast heartbeat, blood rushing through their veins, the feeling of being alive,  _together_.

She cries out when the orgasm washes over her, and it sets him over the edge too, his rhythm faltering as she clenches around him, her head falling back, exhaling until it fades, until Robin stills his movements, until she's coherent enough to come back to him.

"Good morning!" he whispers in her ear. His breath is tickling her skin, and she shivers, the hand at the back of his head tenderly running through his hair, fingers scratching his scalp.

"Good morning," she answers in a content sigh, closing her eyes, her cheek pressed against his.

"Every day should start like this one," Robin murmurs, and her eyes blink open.

_If you forget the discovery of the tiny human growing inside me at the worst possible moment ever_ , she thinks, but bites her tongue instead of speaking the words.

She knows he'll be thrilled when she'll tell him.  _If_  she has a chance to tell him. If this baby is kept a secret, if her mother doesn't learn about it, if she herself survives this war. But because Regina knows how much joy it'd bring her husband, how much he needs good news, how much he deserves to know there is a possibility he will become a father again, she won't tell him. Not yet. Not until this war is over, if this happens soon.

She has to protect him. She doesn't want to disappoint him, doesn't want to give him hope or scare him even more. Regina refuses to see him so full of fear he won't allow her to leave the camp again. She's a part in this whole mess, a major one. She needs to be on the battlefield, she needs to be by her friends' side. And if Robin knows about this baby, and they're facing her mother again, the result will end up being the same, because he will try to protect her and their child all the same, and she'll end up losing one of them, again. She can't have that.

So she's keeping her mouth shut.

Or more accurately, she presses a kiss to the side of his jaw. A tongue-filled kiss lingering and moving to the crook of his neck. A kiss that has him exhaling softly, his grip on her tightening.

And she pulls back.

She's grinning at his bewildered look when she announces cheerfully. "We should hurry! Connor will be awake soon, and I promised Matthew he could have breakfast with us before I help him work on his writing."

Before he can even reply, Regina has given a soft peck to his lips, and moved away from his arms, reaching for the ointments and starting to rub her skin with them.

As expected, he's behind her in the blink of an eye, taking the bottle from her hand and beginning to massage her skin slowly, taking his time. She lets him, revels in the feeling of her husband taking care of her, leans back against his chest, and closes her eyes.

Maybe they can share a few more moments of intimacy before heading back to the camp after all.

* * *

_Present_

" _I was so scared, Daniel. I hid my pregnancy the best I could for as long as I could, and it worked, my baby is still here, he's alive," she runs her hand affectionately along the curve of her belly, smiling softly at the kick she receives. "But I feared for his life more than once. When I found out I was pregnant again, I didn't know that we were so close to the end. The situation seemed hopeless. My mother was safe in her castle. Our lives were still in danger. Another quest had been revealed to us just a few weeks prior. Another problem to solve, while we were still struggling with so many others that we appeared to be unable to resolve._

_But my mother did something unexpected. Something that changed everything. Something that cost us, but ended up turning the entire balance in our favor."_

_She tilts her head to the side, frowns deeply, feeling tears gathering behind her eyes but blinking them back._

" _Maybe not in the beginning. When we first heard of what she'd done, we thought everything was lost."_

* * *

Five days later

"Do you have everything you need? We could give you more crops, or food. Just ask!"

One of the friars rests his hand on Regina's shoulder, smiling.

"For the umpteenth time, we have more than necessary, Regina. Stop worrying," He insists.

"You can keep telling her that, Nolan," a voice comes, both meeting Tuck's smirk and amused eyes when he playfully nudges Regina's shoulder. "But she won't stop asking until you've passed that door."

Regina nudges him back, laughing softly, almost guiltily, but this is good guilt.

"Oh we know, brother," Friar Andreas answers with a knowing look. "We noticed that even here, Regina has a tendency to coddle the people around her. But we're fine!" he insists, looking at the woman. "Take care of yourself for a change. I know you've been busy with the men deserting the camp during the day, that you had a lot of things to do here to replace them." Regina shrugs, because it wasn't much of a big deal, she was happy to help, and it keeps her busy. "You need to focus on you and your family-" The man stops, a soft smile appearing on his lips."Actually," he resumes "I'd like you to do something for us."

Regina's eyes open as widely as her smile, and she questions him happily, tells him that he can ask anything.

"I want  _you_ ," he pauses, taking her hand, looking her square in the eyes, with the most serious expression he can manage "to spend the day doing something  _you_  want." Her brow shoots up with surprise at his request. "You've been through a lot, and you've been taking care of everyone. Just think of you, and only you, for a few hours."

"But-"

"I think this is actually an excellent idea," Tuck cuts her.

"I-" Regina begins to argue again.

"Should listen to these wise men, my love."

She almost jumps at Robin's voice coming from behind her, turns around to find him smirking at her.

"How long have you been standing here?" She questions suspiciously.

"Long enough to agree that you need a break."

"But Robin-"

"Regina!" He warns, holding her gaze.

"They're leaving!"

"Then say goodbye."

She looks between her husband and Tuck, turning enough to meet Andreas and Nolan's determined faces, and she knows they've won her over. She can't argue with them, even her stubbornness won't beat them. And truth be told, she really needs a break.

So she hugs Andreas tightly, and Nolan, walks to the door to take the other friars in her arms. They spent so much time at the camp it's going to feel empty without them, even though they weren't imposing.

"So now," Robin starts when the priests are gone "What do you want to do?"

She cranes her neck to look at him, and gives him a playful smile. One that says everything she doesn't voice. She tugs at his hand, and leads him towards the practice field, Tuck following, calling for some of their friends to join them.

They know what Regina is about to do. They know her. They know she has been using her bow to teach, to fight, to hunt, and to practice. They know one thing is missing to that list. One thing they used to do a lot in the past.

Archery contest.

A light mood, and some fun. A challenge, the amused glances of their friends, forcing her to concentrate deeply. Always an explosive cocktail for Regina. Her gift in archery is increased when she has the pressure of a good duel. When she knows she wants to win, not to save her life or for a job, but for the simple and primal need of being the best.

Especially when her opponent is her husband.

By the time they get in position, a small crowd has formed around Regina and Robin. She hands him an arrow, and takes one for herself, glances at him before drawing her bow.

"Like old times?" she questions, and he answers in kind, nodding.

"Like old times."

They know the rule by heart. It's a challenge between the two of them, one that no one else in the camp ever played to. Not one arrow outside the smallest red circle of the target. Not one arrow landing outside the wooden structure. If the target is full, they have to find a way. The first one to miss, loses.

It begins slowly, easily, each of their arrows landing in the red circle. They are focused, brow knitted in concentration, bodies adjusting to have the perfect angle. Everyone is enthusiastically encouraging them, and they exchange occasional amused glances.

Connor is in Little John's arms, happily clapping his hands together, following the mood. Henry is watching his daughter and son-in-law with a warm gaze. And Matthew... He's amused, his eyes shining with interest as he watches the duel. He saw Regina practice more than once during his training, but Robin, not so much. And it's only been a few weeks, but the two are starting to share a real bond, one that is definitely leading somewhere.

Both Regina and Robin release their arrows, and the target is almost full, but none of them miss. They let out a breath, Regina reaching for her gourd as Robin wipes his forehead with his sleeve.

She's happy to share this with him. Hiding her pregnancy from her husband is making her feel guilty, so she uses every distraction she can have. Every close moment. They don't have a lot left, not with Connor and Matthew taking a lot of their time -even though the oldest is able to spend hours on his own-, not with planning the next attack, and trying to figure out a way to get inside her mother's castle without being detected. Having fun like this, like before, like old times, when everything was simpler, feels good.

But it doesn't last.

They're about to release another arrow when the voice startles everyone.

"Regina! Robin!"

They all stop dead in their tracks, the light mood gone, concern falling over them at the urge in the tone. The Blue Fairy appears in front of them, breathless, and Regina takes a few steps to meet her.

"Something happened!" Blue explains.

"What? What is it?"

"The farm... They've been attacked."

Regina drops her bow to the ground, her heart hammering inside her chest, her voice strangled with worry when she asks, "Are they-"

"They're on the run. They've had unexpected help, but I'm afraid it won't be enough. It's just buying them some time. You need to go help them. If your mother gets a hold on the princess, we become powerless, losing our advantage."

The look Regina gives Robin is not calling for an argument, "I'm going." she states, but he just nods, presses a kiss to her forehead.

Turning towards the group of Merry Men waiting for them, Robin declares, "If you don't want to come, I won't blame you. Not all of us can go anyway, we need to keep a last line of defense in case we don't come back." He looks around "Ten Merry Men, including Regina and myself. The others stay behind, get ready for a rescue mission if necessary."

"Robin," Colin calls. "You can't ask us that. We can't wait here patiently while-"

"He's right, Colin," Regina speaks "We can't let the camp and the Kingdom unprotected. The Merry Men are the only thing keeping people united against Cora and Georges. If we're gone, no one will ever stop them." Turning to Little John, who's already giving Connor to Helena, she says firmly, "You stay here, John!"

The man's eyes snap to her immediately, shocked. "What? No way!"

Tilting her chin towards the boy slightly enough that Connor won't notice, she explains. "You're more needed here than out there."

"So are you."

"But it's my fight."

" _Our_  fight." Robin corrects, stepping behind her.

Someone tugs at Regina's sleeve, and she looks down, finds Matthew staring at her with fear in his much too young brown eyes.

"I know you have to go," he says, and she can see how much of a grown-up he tries to be, despite his young age. "But I don't like it."

She gathers him in her arms, holds him tightly, exchanging a broken glance with Robin. She's scared, and he is too. This is the first real confrontation between her mother's men and them, the first time it's not planned.

The first actual battle.

And innocents are caught in the middle.

"You have to leave!" The Blue Fairy reminds.

Regina pulls back, takes Matthew's face between her hands, kisses his forehead. "I'll be back!"

While Robin is hugging the boy, she squeezes her father's hand on her forearm, silently asks him to look after Matthew, before walking to Connor, pressing a kiss to his forehead too, and then faces Little John.

"You better come back!" her friend warns.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of letting her win."

She takes her bow from Robin's hand, grabs two quivers full of arrows, runs to her tent to take her daggers and sword, and meets Robin near the exit of the camp.

She looks around.

Eric, Alan, Arthur, Colin, Rowan, Tuck, Liam and Dean are coming with them. They're already ready, on their horses, and Regina gives Much the signal to open the door. She takes Rocinante's reins from Robin, gives the horse a kind pat on the collar, and turns to her husband. They don't need words. Their eyes are speaking for them. She presses her forehead to his, and breathes him in one last time before stepping back and climbing her horse.

Addressing the Blue Fairy, Regina looks more resolute than ever. "Lead us to them."

The ride there seems to last forever. It takes a bit less than two hours at a good speed, but they don't have so much time, so they're rushing, their horses running faster than usual. Anguish is settling in everyone's mind. Fear too. They dread to arrive there and only be met by corpses scattered on the ground.

They know Cora won't have Snow White executed at the farm. But once locked inside the castle's dungeons, the girl will be out of their reach.

"We're almost there, they're close!" the fairy informs.

Indeed, less than five minutes later, they hear the sound of horses rushing through the forest, their heavy, desperate, exhausted breaths, the encouragement coming from a masculine voice.

"David!" Regina screams, recognizing him.

The small group stops abruptly, bewilderment and relief washing over them, all jumping from their horses when they realize that help is here.

"Regina?"

The woman dismounts Rocinante while he's still slowing down, and collides with David's body, hugging him fiercely, almost crying in relief.

"Thank God you're alive!"

Looking up, she meets the princess' confused and terrified look, walks to her and weaves a hand through her hair, not resisting when Snow wraps her arms around her waist. She gives a nod to Johanna, takes Ruth's comforting hand, and checks the surroundings, expecting to find...

"What is  _she_  doing here?"

Robin spits the words before she has the chance, and Regina watches him draw his sword and aim it at the red-haired woman's neck. Regina immediately pulls Snow White behind her, reaching for her own sword, hearing her friends do the same.

"Robin, wait!" Someone calls, stopping him. "She helped them."

Tinkerbell appears in front of the Merry Men, and he gives her a stunned look, but doesn't pull his sword away.

"What do you mean she helped them?"

"She warned us." Ruth explains "She arrived not long before the soldiers. Zelena and... Tinkerbell," she hesitates, glancing at the fairy she only met an hour ago before continuing, "took care of the first line of soldiers, to give us time to escape."

Regina walks warily towards her sister, whose eyes can't hide the panic and tiredness she seems to feel at the moment.

"How do I know it's not a trap?"

"I can tell you everything if you want, but we don't have much time." Zelena finally speaks, her voice steadier than what she's letting appear. "I'm not sure my magic is strong enough to resist our mother's, and the shield I created won't hold forever. They must already be on our heels."

The moment her sister holds her hands up in surrender, something on her wrists catches Regina's attention, the young woman slowly taking her hands, turning them to examine the bruised skin around Zelena's wrists, looking up at her in question.

"Long story," Zelena shrugs, not taking her hands back though. "I'll tell you about this if we get out of this alive."

What passes between the two sisters goes deeper than just mistrust. Regina is judging whether or not she can trust her, and Zelena is pleading her to. She's pleading her to, and something inside Regina tells her that the woman is not lying, that she's anything but honest and sincere, that what she thinks these marks are is exactly what they are. A little voice in her head, a strange feeling in her heart, are begging her to give Zelena a chance. So she does what she hopes she won't regret, but at this point there's no more time for internal fights. She puts a hand on Robin's forearm, and urges him to lower his sword.

"Regina!" He outrages, but his wife's eyes haven't left her sister's yet.

"I believe her," is all that she says, before turning to the others. "But I want to know why it's only the four of you. Where is he? Was he with you when they attacked?"

"Regina..."

When Ruth takes a step forward, a pained look on her face, one hand grabbing hers gently and taking it between her own, Regina's eyes open in horror. " _No_!"

"He stayed behind."

"Why? You said there was a magical shield between-"

"He knew it wouldn't stop them forever. He stayed behind to give us more time, to get rid of as many soldiers as he could before they managed to go through."

Regina steps back, breaking contact and going to her horse, grabbing his reins.

"Regina, don't!" Eric speaks.

"I'm not letting him alone-"

"It was his choice!" Ruth argues, even though she knows it's pointless.

"Doesn't mean it was a wise one."

"Regina!"

A hand on her shoulder stops her the moment she tries to climb the saddle. She turns around to meet Tuck's eyes, and he's as serious and firm as he's kind.

"I've been the witness of your mother's methods, just as you have, and I'm sorry to tell you that but he's probably dead by now. There is no one to go to. And even if he's still alive, there's nothing you can do for him. He stayed behind so these people here would be safe," he says softly, waving a hand towards the two teenagers and their caretakers. "He stayed true to his promise. Now, you have to keep yours, and protect them, make sure they stay safe, if you want his sacrifice not to be vain."

Regina stares at him, and the fierce need to go is still there, but it's mixed with understanding and acceptance. She remembers her own sacrifice, the day she almost gave her life for Robin. She remembers him wanting to stay, and her pleading to save his own life, so she wouldn't die for nothing. She looks around, to Tuck and Robin -who, she's sure, are sharing the exact same thought than her, to her friends, to her sister, who's been observing the whole scene in silence, not a single emotion appearing on her face. Her eyes finally land on Snow White, scared and sweet Snow, and David, Ruth and Johanna. This is about them, not her.

"Alright! Go back on your horses. We're going to try to avoid a fight. Zelena, you stay close to me!" She tells her sister, expecting a protest, but there is none.

She's already on her saddle, waiting for the others to mount theirs, when a sudden noise is heard. Loud voices coming from men, the sound of metal clattering, of horses coming their way at fast speed. Realization dawns upon them.

They're  _here_.

"They're too close," Colin murmurs.

Regina dismounts Rocinante immediately, earning an exasperated sigh of her name from her husband.

"Not if we can slow them down." Glancing behind her at the men, she announces, drawing her bow and readying an arrow. "Colin, Dean and Liam, you go with Ruth, Johanna, the kids and my sister. Tinkerbell and Blue too. You bring them to the camp. Take the horses, I don't want them in our way, or injured. The others stay with me, we're going to give you as much time as we can."

"Regina, that's suicide!" Alan argues.

"I came here to defend them, Alan, and that's what I'm going to do. If you or someone else want to leave, go ahead, I won't stop you. But decide now, they'll be here in a minute."

"Let me stay!" Zelena offers. "I have magic. I can help!"

Regina doesn't even think when she replies "Then help!" She points a finger in direction of the group getting ready to leave. "Them. I can take care of myself. But I need to be sure they are protected if I don't make it." Spotting the guards at the end of the road, she urges. "Go!"

But it's too late.

The first arrow flies past their heads when Regina pushes her sister to the side, and she shoots an arrow back immediately, taking the guard down. She glances at her still bewildered sister while Arthur helps her on a brown mare, makes sure she and the others are gone before moving again, joining the Merry Men who stayed.

Regina hides behind a tree when another arrow lands a few feet behind where she was, and she watches Robin and Tuck, each on one side of the path, using a long rope to cut the road to the soldiers. The sound of metal when they fall on the ground is almost deafening, but the Merry Men use it to their advantage. Regina follows her friends, jumps on the first guard she sees, and gets rid of him immediately. There's no mercy this time, this is about saving the lives of innocents, so they can't let any of these men get passed them.

As men keep arriving on them, Regina and her friends fire arrow after arrow, stopping the soldiers mid-course before they reach the Merry Men. She empties her quivers, watching corpses fall one after the other, takes a deep breath, then rushes forward. She faces a black knight, watches his appearance carefully as she approaches him, his outfit, black from head to toe, his mask, his helmet. Weird choice, she thinks. Not practical in the slightest, but that's a good thing for her.

Throwing her bow over her shoulder, Regina takes her sword, gets in position, but doesn't wait for him to attack. She does. She swings the weapon in front of her, and he blocks her, deviates a few blows before attacking himself. She pares the attack, and uses the moment he shifts his balance from one foot to the other to crash her heel against his tibia, making him fall on one knee with a loud cry. The blade runs through him a second later, and Regina pushes at his dead body, freeing her sword.

Looking around, she notices that a lot of soldiers are already down, and her friends still alive, but the fight is not over yet.

She almost gets cut by a blade that she avoids only thanks to her sharp and quick reflex, her heart pounding in her chest, but she draws a deep breath out to recover. The man moves towards her in a second, but she lifts her sword just in time for him to walk right on it, the cold metal piercing through his chest a second later.

Regina raises her head, and there is Arthur, knocking down another guard, adding it to the pile of dead bodies on the floor. One of the last one it seems, but she doesn't have time to check. Something to her right catches her eye, and she turns her head, ready for another fight, but that's not what she finds.

Robin is still grappling with a guard in a sword fight that her husband is about to win. But while his opponent is on the ground, head down as Robin lets the blade fall, someone else comes from behind. Someone she hadn't noticed until now. Someone who doesn't appear to have fought until now. Someone whose face is hidden by a mask.

The man walks straight to Robin, his gaze fixed upon him, ignoring everyone around. Her husband doesn't see the blow coming, but Regina does, and her blood suddenly freezes in her veins, her breath stuck in her throat, her heart halting its frantic beating. She's too far, and it all happens so fast that she can't do anything but watch, powerless and horrified, as Robin turns around to be instantly met by the blade of a dagger sinking into his abdomen.


	21. The most resilient heart : Chapter 13

6 months earlier

The battle against the black knights

" _Robin!_ "

Regina's scream resonates in the large space of the forest, and she starts running towards her husband. She grabs a dagger at her belt and the trajectory is so perfect it stabs the man who just hit Robin straight through his skull, killing him instantly.

Robin falls to the ground, a hand over his abdomen where the blade sank in him deeply, and even from where she is, Regina can almost see the blood flowing from the wound. She slices the throat of another guard who stands in her way, her eyes finding her husband's form immediately as she closes the distance between them. She's so focused on him that she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. She doesn't notice a soldier on the ground, not far from her, injured, but not dead. The man hurries to his feet, crashes against Regina while she's running at fast speed, his elbow colliding with her ribs, his shoulder with her collarbone, and she's projected to the ground, losing her sword in the process.

Regina lets a dull cry out when her side meets the hard ground, the air knocked out of her lungs, but it's mostly the sudden pain running through her entire chest that renders her dizzy and unaware of her surroundings. Her ears vibrate with a crack when she hears her own ribcage break under the impact. For a moment, she can't even move, can't even breath or think, the pain too strong,  _overwhelming_. She forces herself to get through it, tries to get back to her spirits, but all she manages to do is fall flat on her back and open her eyes to face her own sword raised above her.

But before she reacts, there is a loud thud and the clattering sound of metal crashing on a rock, and when she blinks and opens her eyes again, Eric is standing in front of her, face serious and sweaty, nodding as she gives him a puzzled look. He quickly kneels next to Regina, his hand reaching for where she's holding her ribs.

"Are you alright?"

She manages a small but painful nod that only increases the beginning of a headache caused by her collision with the floor, and when he helps her sit, she mutters, wincing and attempting to get up, "Robin…"

A strangled cry slips from her lips as another wave of pain takes her when she forces herself to stand despite the dizziness, Eric supporting her all the while.

Looking up, Regina notices the sudden change of atmosphere, the calmness around them, and mostly, the fact that the battle has stopped.

No, not stopped.

It's  _over_.

Paying more attention to the faces of the still standing men, she realizes there are only her friends left alive in the middle of the battlefield. All the guards are dead.

They won.

The Merry Men won, but there is no cheer nor happiness.

Regina and Eric join their friends, and on her way Regina notices Arthur, bent over someone who is not a black knight. She meets the sadness of his eyes when he looks up from Rowan's body, shaking his head to make her understand there is nothing more to do. Regina's breath catches in her throat, reality hitting her again, making her close her eyes for a second, but also reminding her of another casualty.

She fastens her pace to join Robin, notices that Tuck is by his side, already tending to the wound. On her way there, her sight is caught by a shadow lying still only a few inches from her husband. A man whose mask has fallen and is, luckily, irremediably dead, the blade of her dagger buried deep into his skull.

She recognizes his face immediately.

Guy de Gisborne.

The man she threatened, and who swore to get his revenge on her. She turns her gaze away from him, uncaring of his fate. Instead, Regina falls to her knees next to her husband, catching his attention as she takes his hand.

"Hey!" Robin says weakly, attempting an unconvincing smile. "We won." he states, as if it mattered, as if it was important in any way now.

Regina looks up at Tuck with as much hope as she can muster, given the circumstances, but she already knows the answer, so she doesn't wait for him to answer. Before uttering a word, she reaches for Robin, bringing him onto her lap, against her chest, her sore ribs all but forgotten at the moment as she locks her brown eyes with his blue ones. When her fingers brush his cheek shakily, Regina has an uncomfortable sense of deja vu settling inside her.

"We did," she agrees, blinking and letting tears roll freely on her cheeks despite the smile she tries to put on. "And you're going to get better. We are going to take you back to the camp, and-"

"Regina-" he tries to reason, but she cuts him.

"No! You will be fine, Robin!" she insists. "We just-"

A cackle is heard, startling everyone, making Regina's head snap up and look ahead, her friends following her gaze to see a blue smoke appearing in the middle of the battlefield, revealing Cora in an elegant dark dress, a confident smirk on her face.

"I doubt that, my dear."

She waves her hand in front of her, and a body is thrown between her and the Merry Men, gasps of horror escaping everyone.

"No!" Regina screams, attempting to stand. Robin holds her back while the other Merry Men draw their swords, but from one flick of her wrist Cora sends the weapons across the road.

"Did you really think that savage could stand against me?"

"You murdered him!" Regina yells.

"Don't act so surprised! It's not as if he was the first one. I seem to remember one little blonde woman-"

Cora holds up her hand in front of her, stopping the sharp blade of Eric's dagger a few inches from her face, disintegrating it into dust with disgust.

"Men," she rolls her eyes, the man hitting the ground with a loud thud when she sends magic towards him. "Always thinking they're stronger than I am."

Cora looks back at her daughter, grins when her eyes land on Rowan's lifeless body and Robin lying on the floor, Regina clutching to her husband desperately. He's not dead, but sweating heavily, his face twisting in pain, shooting daggers at his mother-in-law when Cora takes a few steps towards them, smiling widely with madness.

"It looks like my men did some effective damage after all. They didn't catch the princess, but this is an acceptable compromise. And Guy succeeded in his mission! I knew I could count on him to get the job done."

"I will make you pay for-" Regina starts, before finding herself unable to move or speak, frozen on spot just as her friends,  _powerless_. They're at her mother's mercy when the woman keeps her slow, lingering,  _threatening_  walk in their direction, her hand held up in front of her.

"And how are you going to do that, pray tell?"

The answer is more actions than words.

Cora is suddenly sent flying a few feet away, releasing the magic holding the Merry Men prisoners, everyone staring at each other with incomprehension and astonishment.

Until a horse is stepping between them and the Queen, who is currently trying to get up to her feet, still a little stunned.

"That's enough, mother!" Zelena speaks loudly when she jumps off the horse, letting him walk away and earning a bewildered look from a few Merry Men.

"Oh really, my dear? I think this is just the beginning."

Cora sends a blast of magic towards her older daughter, hitting Zelena in the shoulder. The young woman falls back and lands at the Merry Men's feet, and most of them just stare at her, but Alan and Eric quickly reach for her and help her sit, then move up to her feet, facing her mother again, a determined look on her face as she stalks forward towards her.

"Leave them alone!"

"And what will you do to stop me?"

"What I should have done since the day I learned about your existence." the red-haired woman challenges, chin held high.

Regina finds in her sister's confidence the fierce she herself possesses, the strong temper and bravery that has helped her become who she is. Maybe they're not that different after all.

Zelena pushes forward with both hands, a green blow of magic heading straight for Cora, but the woman takes care of it with a flick of her wrist, though she steps back when the strong gulf of wind it creates as it explodes hits her.

"You don't have the power to defeat me, Zelena," Cora snorts. "You wouldn't be able to kill me, even if you wanted to. You're too  _soft_."

"Perhaps, but I can stop you from going after them."

Saying so, Zelena waves her hands in a circle in front of her, joining them above her head, and locks her fingers together before she opens her palms.

From where she's sitting on the floor behind her sister, Regina watches in awe as Zelena releases her magic and it spreads from her hands to the sides, creating a shield between Cora and everyone else.

Zelena steps back, still placed between her sister and her mother, the determination in her demeanor surprising even herself.

There's a deep silence following, the two women glaring at each other, neither backing down nor giving up. Cora leans back a little, straightens her spine even more, if that's possible, and states flatly, "So you're choosing her side?"

Zelena doesn't even hesitate to reply. "After seeing what she accomplished while all you did was spreading death, yes, I am. She's a much better person than I'll ever be. I understand now that she wasn't blessed from having been chosen by you.  _I_  was the lucky one. All those years away from you,  _I_  was safe, while you put  _her_  through hell over and  _over_  again."

"Zelena, Zelena, Zelena..." Cora shakes her head. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"On the contrary, mother. I understand things more clearly now than ever. Regina was right since the beginning. We were only tools you used to achieve  _your_  dreams. You never loved me. You never loved her. You only loved yourself, your magic, and your  _power_. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it. I could have stopped you from killing so many innocents."

"It won't change anything, dear. You're still not powerful enough to fight me. You can't stop me from turning that vermin into dust."

"Maybe not," Zelena concedes, her voice perfectly calm. "But I can do this."

A strong wave of dizziness invades Regina when she's all of a sudden surrounded by darkness. She blinks several times, starts to feel panic invade her, tightens her grip on Robin's body instinctively, feels him do the same. But after a couple of seconds, light is entering their vision again, and she has to shake her head to come back to reality.

When Regina opens her eyes, her mother is gone.

Her mother is gone, and so are the dead soldiers.

She looks around her, confused, only to notice that everyone else is still standing where they were, Zelena in front of her, the huntsman's dead body about three feet away, Rowan's corpse not far behind, her friends around her, her husband safely tucked in her arms. But the surroundings are different. A slight nausea takes Regina, and that's when it hits her.

Zelena had transported them.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to beat Cora, she transported them somewhere safe. Or at least, someplace else, away from their mother.

The heavy weight on her lap is moving, and Regina's attention goes back to her husband, reality striking her in the face again when she hears him groan roughly in pain, one of his hands closing over her arm, gripping tightly.

"Robin!" she exclaims, leaning forward, adjusting him in her arms, earning another whimper from him. "Robin, stay with me!"

Tuck moves closer again, the other Merry Men gathering around, powerless.

"Regina," Robin tries, his eyes screwing shut. "I'm sorry."

"Don't speak! You need to save your strength. We are going to bring you back to the camp. You're going to be okay!" She says breathlessly, her voice frantic with agitation and panic as she attempts to hide the trembling of her fingers when she cups his cheek.

A myriad of feelings are washing over her, and she can't put them in order, can't even understand them nor describe them. Regina only knows a tight knot is building in her chest and spreading through her body with every second she lays eyes on her badly injured husband. She can't figure out which feeling it is, the good or the bad one, but she doesn't care, doesn't want to know, just wants to focus on the man she loves lying in her arms, bleeding to death.

"Regina, be realistic," Robin winces, bringing a hand to his abdomen, covering hers over his injury. "I won't-"

" _No_!" Regina cuts him forcefully, almost angry at him. "We won this fight. So you don't give up! I forbid you to leave me, you understand? You stay here. I  _need_  you."

Tears are falling down her face again, quickly followed by others, hot and heavy, blurring her vision. But in her grief, she has enough good sense to remember the latest events, what led them into this part of the forest, and her head snaps up, looking for someone who is quietly standing to the side.

"Can you heal him?" Regina asks briskly, hope piercing through her voice.

Zelena's eyes open wide, her mouth forming an O in surprise. "Me?"

"You have magic! You must know a spell, or something, that will save him!"

"I..." Zelena starts hesitantly. "I don't know. I didn't finish my training, I'm not sure I-"

"Can you try?" The desperation in her tone reflects her heartbreak. She knows at that exact moment, that she would do anything to save his life. " _Please_!" she begs, desperate, tears falling in torrents down her cheeks.

Zelena hesitates, but she takes a step forward, unsure, yet she kneels in front of the couple when Tuck moves to the side. The redhead takes a deep breath before she opens her trembling hands and places them above Robin's body, paying attention to his wound. A light green glow surrounds her fingers, leaving them to caress the lacerated skin.

Regina watches on, eyes shining with hope and fear, mesmerized, as her sister's magic slowly starts to remodel the tissue.

But even if the bleeding stops and the deepest part of the injury seems closed, there's still a trace left, an open scar from the size of the blade, with dark edges, and when Zelena focuses on making it disappear, she receives a jolt of magic, the woman falling backwards and catching herself at the last second with her hands, shaking her head to recover from the blast as Robin suddenly lets out a piercing scream.

"What was that?" Regina questions frantically, hand covering the not completely healed wound. "What did you do?"

Zelena furrows her brow, staring at her hands. She's glancing at Robin now, at the scar, before she meets her sister's panicked eyes. "I don't know! I- I was healing him and... Suddenly it's like his body rejected my magic. It didn't let me finish."

Regina looks back at her husband to find his face torn with pain, his hand instinctively flicking over the now fast darkening skin starting to spread along his side.

"Robin?" Regina calls, holding his face between her hands. "Robin, look at me! Talk to me! Robin, please!"

"Regina..." he lets out, his breath labored as he attempts to get control over the sudden excruciating pain overwhelming him. "It hurts so much."

"I don't understand," Regina looks up at her sister. "You said it was working.  _I saw_  it work. What went wrong?"

"The blade was enchanted to kill him." A voice speaks out loud, startling everyone. "Guy de Gisborne was sent by your mother to kill Robin specifically. They knew he would be there."

Regina's eyes snap up to be met by the green ones of Tinkerbell, who's looking at her with the most sincere regret, but Regina cannot care less about the fairy's feelings right now.

"What are you doing here?" Regina spits, anger and bitterness replacing the plea.

"I came to tell you they're all safe," she says slowly, warily, but Regina just shoots daggers at her.

"And that my husband's death is another worthless loss to help me find my path and get rid of my mother?"

Her tone is full of reproach, strong but at the same time faltering with every sob she swallows down.

"No, Regina. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Can you do something?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I don't have the power to break this spell," the fairy shakes her head.

"Then you should leave."

"Regina..." Tinkerbell pleads.

"You leave me alone! Fly away, moth! I don't want to see you anymore. You're the reason why I started to fight back. You led us there! The hope you brought us destroyed so many innocent lives. You're such a terrible fairy-"

"Regina," a weak voice stops her, a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look down, Robin struggling both against the pain and the tiredness threatening to pull him under forever, shakes as he attempts to resist the magic invading him. "It's not her fault."

"Robin-"

"It's not!" he cuts her again more forcefully this time, his thumb finding her lips to shush her. "It's okay." Her eyes open wide in horror, and she shakes her head, breaking contact with his fingers, but he doesn't give her time to speak. "You're alright." And then "Come here."

He presses his fingers slightly to her cheek, urging her to come closer, trying to suppress a cough fit, turning his head slightly when he fails, but still, he meets his wife's eyes a second later.

"I… I love you." he whispers, his voice weaker every second, his face scrunched up in pain, struggling to hide it from Regina.

"I love you too, Robin. I love you so much. I won't be able to keep going without you, I'm not-"

"You will, Regina." A groan escapes him, his jaw clenching as he tries to suppress a scream "You're…" He swallows hard before continuing, "you're the strongest person I know."

Brushing her fingers against his cheek, she leans even closer to him, until their foreheads are touching. "Please, don't leave me alone. I can't do this alone," she whispers in a sob, thinking more of their unborn growing child than the war ragging around them. As she does, a strong wave of love spreads in her, from head to toe, filling her heart, her lungs, her mind, her entire being, and she knows what she has to do.

Robin is beyond hope, beyond saving. This is his end, even if she can't accept it. But when Regina leans forward, she knows all that is left is to say goodbye. She has to give him one last kiss. She closes her eyes, and under the pressure of his hand on her neck, presses her lips to his.

A pulse of pure love shudders out and engulfs the land. A light brighter than the sun surrounds them all, hitting them square in their chest. The shock makes Regina and Robin pull away with puzzled eyes as they stare at each other with incomprehension.

"What was that?" a voice questions, but they're too stunned to react.

"True loves' kiss," Tinkerbell answers in awe. "I've heard legends about it but... I never saw one for myself before."

"Wait! Do you mean it was-"

"Magic, yes." she cuts Arthur. "Light magic. The most powerful magic in all the realms."

Regina barely hears the words, only follows Robin's hands when they wander to his abdomen, looking for evidence of his deadly enchanted injury, but finding none.

"The wound!" he exclaims, his voice raspy but strong. "The spell! They're gone."

"What?"

"How?"

But Robin ignores his friends. He meets Regina's tearful and confused eyes, a hand reaching for her face, smiling when she leans into his palms. "You saved me." Letting out a chuckle, he repeats, this time drawing her out from her dazed state "You saved me, Regina. You saved my life."

Without a warning, he sits fully, his lips crashing onto hers, taking her by surprise. It takes her a second to realize what is happening, but when she does, she wraps an arm around his neck, her free hand circling his wrist and keeping him with her. They forget about the others, about the location, about what just happened, as they kiss until the lack of air becomes unbearable, pulling back but their foreheads resting against each other, needing the contact after coming so close to being separated forever.

"I would hate to break the moment," Eric speaks after clearing his throat. "But the Evil Queen can find us at any moment. We better leave."

Nodding and then helping her husband get up to his feet with a wince -true love kiss doesn't work on broken ribs it seems- Regina can't help but palm his abdomen, making sure there is nothing left of the mortal injury. Robin grabs her fingers gently, and brings them to his lips, drawing her gaze to him.

"I swear, I'm alright, my love. Let's go home."

* * *

_Present_

" _I was still too shocked to realize what happened. It took me almost all the walk back to the camp to understand that the kiss between Robin and I was actually made of magic. Light magic. It was beyond understanding, and yet everything suddenly made sense. How every time I opened myself up to him, it felt like I was reuniting with the other half of my heart, my soul. How he had this power over me I couldn't understand. How I missed him every second of every day, only felt safe when tucked in his arms._ _"_

_Regina smiles absentmindedly, closing her eyes and picturing Robin's face in her mind, her love for him invading her just at the thought._

" _Because we only had Zelena's horse left, we had to walk back home, praying all along that we wouldn't face Cora again. Zelena could've transported us, but she was exhausted, a bit shaken too. She also explained that, ignoring where the camp was, there were more chances for her to send us across the forest than in front of it. Anyway, not everyone was comfortable with her yet, or ready to trust her blindly, especially regarding her magic, even though she had just saved us. But looking around, we soon recognized where we were, and it wasn_ _'_ _t actually that far from the camp. It took us around two hours maybe, to reach it, but it was fastidious. We were drained, and injured, had to make sure the dead bodies of Rowan and the huntsman weren't falling from the horse's back. Zelena offered to help. She surprised us, because of course she stood up for us and allowed us to survive the encounter with my mother, but she appeared to genuinely want to give a hand. She claimed that she wasn't wounded, she could take it. Of course, she struggled, especially when one of the bodies slipped from the saddle and almost fell to the floor, but she didn't complain._

_However, out of safety, we blindfolded her when we neared the camp. We weren't sure if her magic allowed her to see through the scarf, but she didn't argue. I don't need to tell you that before we even were to the camp's door, it opened and our friends came to check on us, and also, relieve us of the dead. I heard Rowan's wife's broken cry when she discovered what had happened to him. I could only understand her too well. My husband almost suffered the same fate that day._ _"_

_Regina draws a deep, long, shaky breath, and swallows dryly, gazing down._

" _We won the battle, but we also lost two souls. My friends didn't really know the huntsman, but they knew he was important to me, and helpful, that he gave his life to protect innocents. His body was treated with as much respect and care as he deserved_ _-_ _which was a lot_ _-_ _and was buried just after Rowan, in a different place though, one wild and soft at the same time, one that reminded me of him. We did it on the same day they died. I remember, when I was watching Robin and a few others put his body underground, feeling like someone was watching me. I turned around, and in the forest, half hidden by a bush, was the huntsman's white wolf. We locked gaze, and maybe it's silly, but I felt like he was saying goodbye. He wasn_ _'_ _t tied to anyone now, he was free to go back to his pack._

_We didn't let children assist to the funeral, aside from Snow, David, and Rowan's one year old son, although her mother feared he would be more scarred than soothed by it. Matthew and Connor impatiently waited for us to return, you have no idea! But we needed to know what exactly occurred, so as soon as possible, Ruth, Johanna and Zelena explained us everything..._ _"_

* * *

After the funerals

Regina slowly pulls back from Matthew, looks down at him with a tired smile, her thumbs stroking his cheeks. She doesn't speak, he doesn't have to bear her cranky state of mind, so she just presses her lips to his forehead, hugs him one last time before letting him go to Robin while she heads towards where Little John is holding Connor in his arms, Henry by their side.

She catches her friend's attention with a hand on his shoulder, giving her father a warm look. "Can you two keep an eye on Matthew while Robin and I talk with Ruth? I know he has a tendency to sneak around and eavesdrop, and I don't want him to hear the details of what happened at the farm."

She affectionately weaves her fingers into Connor's blonde curls, glancing at him with an affectionate smile before looking at the adults again, squeezing Henry's fingers when they wrap around her arm.

"Sure. Go ahead!" Little John answers. "I'm sure we can find a common game for him and Connor."

"Don't worry about Matthew, Regina," Henry says. "Take all the time you need."

Thanking them, she walks away, goes to Ruth and Johanna, invites her sister to follow them in the tent the friars just emptied hours ago. Robin meets them at the entrance, and they lock themselves inside, each taking a seat on the beds or benches.

"So," Regina starts "Tell us."

xxx

Eight hours earlier

"Snow, can you go help David with the sheep? Lunch is almost ready and he's not done yet."

The girl nods and walks outside. It's a bright sunny day, and she closes her eyes for a second, enjoying the warmth caressing her skin. She looks around, and finds David hard at work, leading the beasts out of their enclosure.

Ruth watches her through the window, exchanges a knowing smile with Johanna, before focusing on cooking the meal, while the other woman is repairing a rip on her dress.

"Who would've thought she was capable of acting as a shepherd?" Johanna chuckles. "She has a great heart, but she's never been the easiest of children, especially when it came to handiwork."

"She was a real brat when she arrived," Ruth comments. "Her grief was a good excuse for her lack of interest in the beginning but what was underneath quickly came to the surface. But I guess that's how royals are raised. Thinking everything should be given to them."

"Her mother tried to change her vision of things," Johanna explains. "But when she died, the King... Leopold... he just gave up. Gave his daughter everything she wanted, never set any rules. And anyway, living in a palace with every servant bowing to your feet is not helping you feel their equal. I'm glad she has the opportunity to see what real life is made of."

"Yes. I think that's why Regina sent her here. She knew exactly what Snow needed, even if the girl disagreed at first."

"The princess likes her a lot," Johanna says softly. "Years ago, when Regina was supposed to become her stepmother, she was so thrilled. And then devastated when she disappeared."

Ruth looks up from the saucepan, tilts her head to the side. "What is good for a person is not necessarily good for another. Regina lost a lot during that time. She never wanted to become Queen."

"I know. I don't have any details, but I've seen her when she came to the castle last time, I remember the state she was in when she was here a few weeks ago. I heard the King speak about what her mother did to her. A lot of people usually don't come back from that."

"She's very resourceful. Regina is probably the strongest person I've ever met."

Ruth is cut off by sudden screams coming from outside, hurried conversations, and the sound of people running to the door. Before she and Johanna can even walk there, it opens wide, the wooden frame hitting the wall violently. The huntsman is here, a completely panicked Snow White and concerned David behind him, along with a red-haired woman Ruth's never met before.

"She's coming!" The huntsman announces. "Take only the essential, we're leaving."

The soup and dress are long forgotten, the older women opening their eyes wide in confusion, but also fear, because that man has never been something else than calm before, so whatever is happening must be big.

"Who is coming?"

"The Queen and her soldiers," the redheaded woman answers, stepping forward. "She discovered Snow White is hiding here and your connection to Regina. They were already on their way when I managed to leave the castle, so they must not be far."

"And who are you? Why should we believe you?" Ruth asks, defiant.

"She was with Cora the day she took the castle," Johanna remembers suddenly while helping the children gather some of their belongings.

Looking at the huntsman with hesitation, the woman speaks in a breathless voice. "My name is Zelena. I am-"

"Regina's sister," Ruth cuts. "A witch, just like your mother. You probably led them here!" She accuses, her voice hardening, eyes growing dark with anger.

"No, Ruth, wait!" the huntsman cuts her. "She helped us before. She brought Amelia's body back, remember? Amelia died months ago, and yet the Evil Queen only arrives  _now_. It's not because of Zelena, she kept the secret all this time. I think we can trust her."

"You should, and you need to leave immediately!" A high-pitched voice comes.

The adults look around, confused, until a small green light appears in front of them, entering the house.

"What the hell is that?" Zelena exclaims, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Tinkerbell. I'm a fairy."

"The one Regina told us about," Ruth realizes.

Turning to her, Tinkerbell nods. "Indeed. One of my sisters warned me about what happened at the castle, Zelena. How your mother locked you in the dungeons. I know you mean well," she tells the young woman, and then firmly to Ruth "The soldiers are really close, and the Evil Queen isn't far behind. Hurry!"

"Can you transport us to the camp?" the huntsman suddenly asks Zelena. "Like you did to come here."

"I can try, but I don't know the forest very well. I'm not sure where to send us. But if you're ready to try-"

"The Merry Men are being warned as we speak," Tinkerbell interrupts. "They're coming to help. Meeting them halfway is the wisest choice."

Not needed to be told twice, Ruth rushes to her bedroom, takes the minimal necessary while the huntsman gathers his weapons. He's outside saddling the horses when they join him.

Unfortunately, at the same time, horse neighs are heard, so are heavy hooves, and when they look behind them in direction of the main road they see a few men on horses coming into view, more joining them.

Ruth climbs on a mare behind her son, Snow adjusting herself on hers in front of Johanna, the huntsman and Zelena still next to the third one.

"If they follow us into the forest, we'll never make it to the camp," David warns.

"I'll take care of them," Zelena begins, stepping away from the steed, rubbing her hands together. "I might slow them down just enough to give you time to-"

"No!" the huntsman cuts her. "Go with them! I'll stay."

"You're one man against an army," she reasons.

"And you have magic. You're more useful to your sister than I am."

"But-"

" _Go_!" he insists, pushing her towards the last horse. She starts climbing the animal's back, but catches herself at the last second, walking towards the huntsman again.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asks.

Her answer is more action than words. Zelena raises her hands in front of her, palms facing the soldiers, who are just getting closer by the minute, and exhales softly, waving her hands in the air. A flow of green magic leaves her palms, heading forward, spreading as a shield just in front of the Black Knights' army, stopping them immediately, some crashing against it and falling from their horses.

"It'll give us some time, until my mother arrives. She's the only one able to break this spell."

"Can an arrow go through it?" Graham asks, holding his bow. "I could get rid of a few while they're stuck there."

As if on cue, a sparkling shining ray of magic comes from behind them and hits the magical shield, making them turn around in surprise to face Tinkerbell.

"It's done. Now go!"

The two other horses are ready to leave, so Zelena hurries, starts to walk to hers, but a hand catches hers.

"Zelena?"

She gives the huntsman a raised eyebrow, ducking her head to the side, wondering why he's making them lose more time.

"Thank you," she opens her mouth to speak but he cuts her. "You're doing the right thing."

"I still think you should come with us," Zelena insists, but he shakes his head.

"I promised your sister I would help. If it means staying behind and allow you all to escape, then that's what I'm going to do. I only have one word."

She stares at him for a second, mesmerized, shaken, confused, but when Ruth's voice calls her name, she nods, turns her back on him, climbs on the horse, then looks down at the man when he says, "Graham."

"What?" she questions, perplexed.

"My name," he explains slowly, "I'm Graham. Can you tell your sister?"

With a wary and compassionate look, Zelena agrees.

It's only when he draws his bow and gets in position, facing the army made of maybe three dozens black Knights trying to pass the magical shield, that she turns away and follows the others into the forest.

xxx

"It was his last request," Zelena says softly. "That I tell you his name. I don't know why, but maybe it makes more sense for you."

"It does," Regina replies with a sigh, finding Robin's hand and clutching to it. "Thank you for telling me."

The small group rises to their feet, Ruth hugging Regina and Robin before following Johanna outside. The brunette looks at her husband with a tilt of her head, glancing at her sister so he understands that she wants some alone time with her. Robin frowns, but Regina silently insists. So he sighs, reluctantly agreeing to his wife's wish, and leaves the tent after dropping a kiss to her brow.

When she notices Zelena is about to exit the tent, Regina stops her with a hand on her forearm, locks their eyes when the redhead looks up to her in question.

"I'd like to thank you. For what you did for them," Regina says, nodding towards the exit, "and for coming back for us. You didn't have to," she tells her honestly.

Zelena's eyes are heavy with an overwhelming mix of emotions, some that Regina can't decipher, but she can hear gratefulness, sadness, and most of all honesty, when her sister answers.

"You trusted me when I was so easy to blame, and you saved my life," she recalls, remembering the arrow flying straight in her direction before her sister pushed her out of the way. "I figured that returning the favor was a good start."

"It is indeed," Regina smiles softly. "Look," she continues, growing serious, but her tone is nothing of aggressive. "It's been a stressful day for everyone. I'm sure you must be tired. Maybe tomorrow, we can find a moment to talk, just the two of us? My father told me a little about you, from the time when you lived together, but he didn't know much. I'd like to hear your story, get to know you. If you don't mind, of course!" She adds quickly, afraid of scaring her sister.

"It'd be nice," Zelena admits sheepishly, smiling.

"Good! Now let's get something to eat!"

Regina invites Zelena to her table, but she can feel the dreading and mistrustful eyes of her friends on the young woman. Mostly those who weren't there to see her stand up to Cora. Regina knows it will take time for them to accept her, because they know who she is, that she was standing next to Cora when the King was murdered, that if she had reacted sooner, Amelia would still be alive.

But her father is here to support her too.

Henry is sitting next to the woman, and he's not much of a talker, but at least he doesn't look at her as if she's a murderer. They exchange a few words, but for most of the camp dinner happens in silence, everyone going back to their tents the minute the place is cleaned.

This is no night for celebration.

Before Regina and Robin lead their new guests to their own tents, the Blue Fairy appears to them, startling everyone.

"Has something else happened?" Robin asks warily, clumsily grasping his wife's hand, tiredness and anxiety piercing in his voice.

"No," she assures. "Cora is back to her castle, and she's furious, as you can imagine. Against you mostly, Zelena," she says, turning to the young woman for a second before addressing the couple again. "But she won't stop her hunt for any of you. We still haven't found what we're looking for, but there are still places to search. I just wanted to let you know."

Before she leaves them, Regina steps forward, breaking contact with Robin by doing so.

"Can I have a word, please?"

Regina feels the questioning looks of her husband and friends upon her, but she ignores them when she walks away with the fairy.

"What is it?" Blue asks.

"I'd like to know... I wanted... If you can..." Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath, speaks the next words in a whisper so that no one else will hear. "Can you tell me if my baby is fine? I took a few blows during the battle, and I feel... well, sore" she admits, bringing a hand to her ribs, letting her fingers slide to where her baby lays, "but overall alright, and I just-"

"I understand. Fear not, your baby is unharmed, Regina. He wasn't injured in any way today."

"Thank you," the woman breathes, before opening her mouth again. "If you don't mind, I have a request."

"Tell me."

"Is there a way to... I don't know, make sure Zelena is watched over tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she helped us, probably saved us all, and I want to trust her, I do, really but... I don't know. I haven't really had time to speak with her yet, I don't know her very well, and even though she saved my life and my friends', now she's in my home, with  _magic_. She seems honest, but I'll just feel more comfortable if someone can make sure nothing happens while we are asleep."

"I can send Tinkerbell for the night if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you! It'll be a great help."

xxx

The next morning

She breathes slowly, focusing on keeping her ribcage as still as possible. She's barely slept during the night. Her injuries had forbidden her of finding any comfortable position, and the latest events kept playing in repeat in her mind. The almost catastrophic event that could have wiped away all their chances at a victory.

Snow White and the others almost getting caught by her mother. Rowan and Graham's  _lifeless_  bodies. The confrontation with Cora. Zelena stepping in. The near death of Robin and the true love's kiss that saved him.

True love's kiss.

Regina has always believed in magic (how couldn't she?) and in true love, but never, even since she's been with Robin, had she ever imagine that what she told Snow White to be the most powerful magic of all would actually reveal to possess magic. Even less that  _she'd_  be the one wielding it.

For as long as she remembers, she always stayed away from it as much as she could, her mother having destroyed the image of magic for her. Until the last months, her confrontation with Marian, de Gisborne, Amelia's death, Matthew's distress... It's growing within her, she can feel it, but whether this is good or dark, she doesn't want to find out, refuses to allow it to control her.

But there, in the middle of the forest, when she pressed her lips to her husband's, desperate and refusing the idea of losing him, she felt that sweet and refreshing wave of love invade her again, more powerful than anything she's ever experienced, and she couldn't deny it anymore.

She saved him.

Her kiss saved him.

Her  _love_  saved him.

Him.

Robin.

Her wonderful husband lying asleep next to her, unaware of the storm of feelings and thoughts roaming through her mind.

Regina still can't remove the image of his bleeding and weak body in her arms, can't forget the smell of blood, the dying and strained look on his face, the excruciating pain tearing his beautiful features.

Now, he seems so peaceful, yet so  _alive_. His chest is rising slowly but regularly, his breath even. He's sprawled on his back next to her, and Regina raises on her elbow, swallowing down a moan when her broken ribs make themselves announced, but it's not the first time she's injured.

Her hand moves to brush his hairline, her lips curving ever so slightly when he unconsciously leans into it, exhaling softly. She stares at his handsome face with wonder and amazement, with gratefulness for his spared life, and the healthy baby growing inside her. She's dying to tell him. She honestly can't wait for him to know. And if this war keeps going on for months, he will find out on his own, might even feel resentful with her for keeping this pregnancy a secret, but she's only trying to do what she thinks is safest for her child. If no one knows, then her mother won't either.

But right now she doesn't want to think of this. The sun is slowly rising, and as soon as they'll step out of the tent it will be about others. About discussing the last events, trying to figure out a new plan with their new ally. It'll be about children, Connor, but also Matthew, for whom both hers and Robin's affections have grown immensely in a very short amount of time, the acceptance of him in their family having triggered these feelings they had locked inside. It'll be about Zelena, her sister, and trying to know each other a bit more. They decided to have a long talk after breakfast, in private. To begin discovering each other, share their thoughts, their experiences with Cora.

Understand one another too.

That's why Regina wants to enjoy her husband's company for a short time. Why she wants him for herself before focusing on everyone else.

Her fingers brush against his stubble, his forehead, and then lift to rest on his chest. She leans forward, presses a gentle kiss to his cheek, another one to his nose, his forehead. He hums quietly, but it's not until she kisses his lips that he actually moves. One of his hands lifts from the bed to cup the back of her head, weaving in her locks and holding her gently to him as he answers her kiss.

Regina smiles, pulls back with a low chuckle, opening her eyes to find his sleepy ones smirking at her.

"I love this kind of wake-up," Robin teases, rolling on his side to face her, an arm wrapping around her waist.

"I bet you do."

But when he pulls her to him, she winces, jerks back, the sudden movement having her choking on an unexpected wave of pain, gritting her teeth until the feeling passes.

By the time she opens her eyes again, Robin's fully awake blue orbs are staring at her in concern, his hand pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as he's propped on his elbow to be at eye-level.

"I'm okay," she manages to mutter. "It's nothing."

"Your ribs?" he questions, and Regina nods slowly. Her husband carefully lifts her shirt to look at the large circular bruise underneath which are what they know to be a couple of fractured ribs, according to Tuck. He frowns at her in worry, before letting the fabric fall gently on her skin. "Did it hurt all night?"

"Kind of."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because," her hand cups his jaw, rubbing his chin lovingly "You wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, and I wanted you to get some rest. You needed it, after..." she lingers for a second, hesitant, but voicing it nonetheless, because it's in the past now, "what you went through yesterday."

"It was a hard day for you too."

"But I didn't almost die, Robin."

"I'm fine, Regina!" He insists. "You healed all my injuries when you kissed me. I'm physically in perfect shape." Leaning forward, he brushes his lips against hers. "Thanks to you." And then kisses her. It doesn't take long for Regina to willingly part her lips for him. He helps her carefully on her back, avoiding the sore part of her ribcage when he runs his fingers along her chest, settling them on her hip, pulling back just enough to murmur, "I think I have yet to thank you for that, by the way."

Before Regina can answer, he crashes his lips against hers again, his weight resting on his side, because the last thing he wants right now is to hurt her. The intensity of the kiss, the way her fingers flex and relax in his hair, the low moans escaping her throat, are enough of a clue of what she's craving for right now. What they both want, but know they can't have at the moment.

Because between warm and hot kisses, between hands wandering and short breaths, they're both acutely aware of the wailing she's struggling to suppress, the way her brow knits in pain, how she sucks hard on a breath when Robin moves too quickly to be on top of her.

So they just kiss, slow the pace to a lazy one before the desire manages to get the best of them and leaves them unsatisfied.

It's Regina who pulls back first, the hand scraping his scalp guiding his gaze to her.

"Don't leave me, Robin," she murmurs. "I was serious. I won't be able to keep going without you. And I'm not the only one who needs you now."

They don't have to pronounce  _his_  name to know that she's not only talking about the Merry Men, even though Robin's death would be devastating on them. Matthew has become so important in their lives, even within a few weeks, and he's already lost so much, that they are hoping he will never have to lose anyone else.

"I have no intention of going anywhere. I'm staying here, Regina. Right where I belong. I'm staying with the most wonderful family I could ever dream of." A flash of sadness passes into his eyes as he adds the next words, probably thinking of their lost child, but it's mixed with so much hope that Regina's heart swells in her chest. "I hope one day we'll have the chance to add a new member to it."

All she can do is smile. She smiles, because she knows that if she speaks, he will hear the strangled sound of her voice and the guilt and shame she carries. So to avoid any risk of him discovering the truth, she winds her arms around his back, pulling him to her, burying her face in his neck, cursing herself for hiding this secret from him, because he has no idea how close to the truth he actually is.

* * *

_Present_

_Her palm and fingers are kneading a painful knot in her back, one of those the pregnancy just made her acutely aware of. She exhales softly as the pain slowly fades, although not fully disappearing._

" _Thanks to my mother, and despite her deepest wishes, I won a larger family than I expected. I'm not talking about the Merry Men, I had them for a long time. When I married Robin, I knew that eventually, we would have children. Then our baby happened, and we were over the moon, but he was taken from us in the most horrible of ways. I was aware that I could get pregnant again, one day, the healer at Leopold_ _'_ _s castle told us so after we had been attacked, but I was so far from being ready, the thought didn't really occur to me. Before I even found out about this child,_ _"_ _She caresses the curve of her belly with a smile,_ _"_ _I had already won two sons in my heart. I never wanted to replace Amelia, but after his mother's death, I was the only maternal figure Connor had. And although he never called me mommy and I was careful that it wouldn't happen, I was treating him as my own. As for Matthew_ _…"_

_She sighs, shrugs a shoulder._

" _Matthew found a way into my heart since the moment I saw him in the street. I don't know why or how, it just happened. The events made me push him away at first, but I loved him long before I ever voiced the words. And Robin_ _…"_ _she smiles broadly, chuckling,_ _"_ _he was just_ amazing _with him! The two really bonded, beyond all my hopes. I'm not sure it'd have happened if circumstances had been different, but somehow I'm glad. I may have lost a child, and I will always feel the pain of that loss, I will never forget, and I will always miss him. But in this misery, despite this tragedy, I had succeeded in moving on, and gained two children in the process, even though we weren't blood-related, building myself a complex but incredibly wonderful family that I was ready to fight for with all my heart._ _"_


	22. The most resilient heart : Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /!\ In case it isn't clear, this chapter happens before the events that occured in the previous chapter. Check the timelines. Seventeen months ago, it was the reunion of two friends who thought they lost each other forever. It was the proclamation of their love. But while they were beginning their life as a couple, someone else's life was changing too, as she discovered where she was coming from...

_Present_

" _I had promised my sister an encounter in the morning, so after we finished breakfast with John and the kids, Zelena and I left the camp, went to somewhere more private, somewhere my friends wouldn't be staring at her as if they wanted to rip her head off or burn her on pyre._

_Truth be told, given their mistrust, none of them was reassured at seeing me leave the camp with her. They feared Zelena would attack me, or use that moment of weakness to call Cora and hand me to the Evil Queen. Even Robin cringed when I told him, but he trusted me, understood my need to learn to know this sister who seemed to be as lost as I was when I ran away."_

_She brushes her fingers over the stone, remembers the way Daniel's hair would caress her skin when she was weaving her hand in it. It's been five years, but everything is still vivid in her mind._

" _I'm going to tell you everything she told me. This is not my story, it's Zelena's. It's the one of a young woman granted with the gift of magic, a woman who was also despised because of it. Her mother was dead, and her father an old bitter alcoholic who treated her with disgust and would beat her every other day. After a fight, he'd told her the truth. That she wasn't his daughter. That he and his wife had found her in the woods, in a basket, dropped out of a tornado. That the woman she called mother wanted to take her in, lulled by her beauty. Her father, on the other hand, confessed that, under the surface, he'd seen something else._

_Her_ wickedness _._

_He_ _accused_ _her of being the reason of his alcoholism, of the awfulness of their life, their loneliness and shame, before requesting breakfast as if they had just spoken about the weather, telling her to put on a good face when he noticed how shaken up she was."_

_Sighing, Regina winces, shakes her head. "He was cruel to her. So she decided to leave. She decided to leave and meet the one person who could help her find a family who wanted her. That's how she crossed paths with the Wizard of Oz..."_

* * *

Seventeen months ago

She looks around, walking along the corridor towards the large doors in front of her. There are pipes filled with a green light substance in place of columns to support the heavy marble green ceiling, large windows letting the daylight come in. She feels out of place, and yet somehow, exactly where she's supposed to be.

Zelena faces the door guards in their green outfits, smiles as they step away in one sharp movement to let her pass. The door opens before she even tries to reach for the doorknob, and she can't help but look around once again before entering the Wizard's ceremonial room.

The place is amazing, pipes of green liquid with bubbles everywhere, and a floor made of bronze material shining under her feet, the designed pattern drawing a large circle towards which she heads for, climbing a few stairs, facing a golden curtain with the letters O and Z intertwined. She's stopped abruptly by four spurts of fire, jumps back, startled and she has to admit, a bit frightened, the astonishment she felt already fading away with the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"I've been expecting you."

The voice comes from everywhere at the same time, loud but warm, confident,  _ceremonious_. Zelena looks around, trying to find its owner, but she's alone. At least physically alone. There is no one but her, no one-

A shadow of the shape of a man with a hat appears on the curtain in front of her.

What magic is that? Zelena wonders. Can the Wizard know the future? If so, he might help her more than she thought. Hopeful, smiling, she takes a step forward.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"I see all." The shadow's arms raise, another spurt of fire accompanying his next words. "I am Oz, the great and terrible. You've come because you wish to find your family."

_He knows_!

He knows what she's here for!This man must be a wonderful sorcerer, with an incredible knowledge and unlimited powers. Zelena is certain he will help her find what she's looking for, there is no doubt in her mind anymore, but she voices the question anyway.

"Can you help me?"

"I will show you what you seek to know. But I warn you, it won't be easy for you."

Zelena mentally scoffs. Easy? When has her life ever been easy? This can't be worse than what she has now, what is waiting for her if she goes back to that cracked little cabin she shares with her drunkard of a father. There's a small tremor beneath her feet, so Zelena looks down, steps back quickly when the design on the floor blurs and disappears, an image appearing in front of her. A child in a basket, carried by a hooded figure.

"Is that my mother?"

"Her name is Cora." Zelena watches as the woman deposits the basket on the ground, near a large tree, before walking away without even a glance back. "She gave birth to you in another land. A cyclone struck and carried you to this world."

She moves to the side of the image, looking up at the shadow.

"Why did she abandon me?"

"You couldn't give her the one thing she truly wanted. The ability to become royalty."

Zelena looks down again, disappointed, but she doesn't have time to think about it, as the image shifts immediately to show a young woman with dark hair, dressed in strange clothes, more like the ones of men than women, tight pants with a large shirt held by a belt. She has a bow in hand, and is about to shoot an arrow, the concentration obvious on her face.

"Who's that?"

"Your sister, Regina."

An unexpected surge of happiness washes over Zelena. She's not alone. She was in search of a mother, and she found someone else. This is beyond all her wishes.

"Wait!" She breathes, smiling, eyes filled with hope, "I've got a sister?"

"Your sister  _could_  do what your mother wished. But she refused. Regina escaped before her wedding to the King could happen. She's been living her own life since."

So that could explain the strange outfit. Frowning deeply, Zelena takes a second to speak, incomprehension piercing in her voice. "But why? Why turning down the chance to be Queen?"

The image shifts to show another face, a man, dark blonde hair and blue eyes, a cocky smile from ear to ear deepening the dimples on his cheeks as he rests his chin on her sister's shoulder, hugging her from behind, pressing a kiss to her temple as she strokes a beautiful brown gelding's head.

"Unlike your mother, Regina never dreamt of royalty. She wanted to find love.  _True love._  And she has, with this man. They finally opened up to each other."

"Love..." Zelena breathes in awe. She always wanted love. But not this kind of love. The one of a mother, because hers died too soon, when she was only a little girl. The one of a mother with whom she shares blood. Cora's love. Something Regina had, and threw away. Her mother's pride, that she refused.

_What a brat!_  Granted with an opportunity only a few are lucky enough to have, and deciding to turn her back on it because of something as futile as…

She can almost hear the giggle coming from her sister as Regina turns around in the man's arms. Zelena notices the brightness of the girl's eyes, the radiance of her smile, the tenderness of her touch, the sincerity of their kiss, and something, inside her, lights up. Something she didn't know she had, didn't know she wanted. No one ever found interest in her. The poor daughter of a drunk fool. Too shy and strange to be worthy of friendship or attention.

_Love._

Such a dangerous thing. People killed in the name of love. People became crazy because of it. And yet, she finds herself yearning for this, craving to know how it feels to wear that smile and happiness.

But she shakes her head.

And at the same time, the wizard waves his hand again, a new face appearing in the mirror, one without a cloak, a woman of middle age but still beautiful, well-dressed, hair up into a elaborate bun, red lips and a serious expression, her mouth tilting into a frown as she meets two people whose faces are hidden to Zelena, but she can tell it is a man and a woman.

"Is it her?" she asks with hope. Would she still be alive? Would she be ready to give her a chance now? "Is this my mother?"

"Yes. This is Cora." The image changes into one of her mother leading the couple into her house. Zelena can make their face clearly now, though she doesn't really pay attention to them. A tall, strong, dark-haired man with a smug grin, and a dark-skinned young woman with long weaving brown hair and a determined face wearing traces of sadness, but mostly anger. Zelena almost jumps when she watches her mother wave her hand to the side and light up candles with...  _magic_. It  _is_  magic, Zelena realizes. Her mother has magic. That's where her powers are coming from. This is where all the answers reside. "Just like you, your mother has the gift of magic, and she's been using it for years."

"I need to meet my mother," she pleads, looking up at the wizard, hopeful. "I... I'll pay whatever you desire. Just, please... tell me how to get there."

The shadow moves his hand in circle in front of him.

"Look down." She does, and observes with a contained surprise that her feet are now covered by bright and sparkling silver shoes with knots on the front. Not really fitting her taste, honestly, too flashy, but if it helps her in her quest, then why not? "When you click your heels together three times, those slippers will take you wherever you desire."

"What do you want in return?"

"I simply ask that you bring me something of your mother. Be careful. It is one thing to wonder about your past, but another to become envious of things you cannot have."

She eyes him with a weary look, hesitant, unsure, because Regina got everything she herself had always been denied, and refused it to win the heart of a handsome man, to see her futile dreams of true love coming true. Zelena should have had that life, should've married the King instead of her frivolous sister. She wouldn't have been a disappointment to her mother. She would have become a Queen, and a great one. She would have had men at her feet, biding her wishes, answering her orders without flinching.

So she's not going to Regina. She will meet her mother, will learn to know this woman who abandoned her. Zelena is not a fool. She won't bend to Cora's will, won't obey like a sweet nothing as if the woman hadn't given her away. But she will be good, and attentive, and if she can see the pride on her face, then it will all be worth it.

xxx

Two minutes later

She lands in the middle of a field, a large one, checks her surroundings, wondering where the hell she is when... She spots a large house, with several just as huge outhouses, her eyes widening at the realization that this is probably the place where her sister lived, the place from where she escaped, and this is not a palace, it's not a castle, but it's better than what she had, what she ever knew.

Her steps are hesitant, but Zelena walks to the door, lifts her hand but catches herself at the last second, bites her lower lip in anxiety, in fear of rejection.

This is what she wants, she tells herself. This is what she  _needs_.

So she knocks.

And waits.

Waits.

She's halfway between knocking again and leaving, but a noise inside stops her in her tracks.

A servant opens the door, a young, sweet round face of a girl who asks for her name and the reason of her presence.

This isn't what she expected. Although, of course, this house is stunning, but Zelena never imagined her mother could have servants. Thinking about it, she has very little knowledge of the royalty, least of all of her mother's life. And now she's stuck with what she's supposed to say, is afraid that the door will be slammed to her face if she tells the whole truth, but can't come up with any explanation to give. So she decides not to give any.

"My name is Zelena. I wish to speak with Cora, if she's here."

"May I ask the reason why?"

"The matter is private. Tell her she won't regret it," Zelena announces with mysterious eyes.

She's not a good actress, never has been, but her trick must have worked, because she's following the maid inside the house, gaze roaming over every item, every shelf, vase, she faces. This is all great space and wealth, fine arts and expensive furnitures, large tapestry and marble everywhere. She sees a huge fireplace, and a thick wooden table so long that at least ten people can eat comfortably there. Large windows are letting the light in, and round and strong pillars are holding the whole place upright.

She almost misses her. Her mother.

Zelena's too absorbed in her contemplation of the place to notice another door is opened, revealing someone else, and the shadow of her purple dress is drawing her eyes down to meet the ones of a woman whose face she discovered minutes ago in another land.

Cora.

Swallowing dryly, Zelena notices the way she looks at her from head to toe, disapproving, judgeful, probably thinking she's some kind of a peasant coming to ask for charity. Oh, how surprised she will be!

"So," Cora starts, walking towards her like a hunter stalking his prey, "Denise said you wanted to talk to me. That you had the boldness to assure I wouldn't regret it." She comes so close to her their faces are only inches apart, and Zelena suppresses the urge to back down, to turn away and leave, but something is forcing her here, is keeping her standing, rooting her feet to the ground, forcing her chin high and her shoulders straight.

"I do."

"Care to enlighten me then," Cora says, stepping back and walking slowly around the couch, not bothering to invite her to sit.

Holding onto her bravery and courage, Zelena takes a step forward, gathering all her strength so her voice is not trembling when she announces, "My name is Zelena. I'm your first daughter."

xxx

Ten days later

She's been here for almost two weeks, and the ice between her mother and her is not thawed yet, she can tell, because Cora doesn't trust her enough to include her into her private business. Zelena never met the couple who came twice since she arrived. Her mother is always taking them to a secluded room, letting her daughter wander around the house or in the field around the property.

But Zelena has met someone else, beside the maids. Cora's husband. Henry. Regina's father, she guesses, although Cora never mentioned her other daughter in front of her. The man appears to be weak, totally docile, not once did he stand up to his wife, even when she was looking him down.

He doesn't seem like a bad person, but the lack of personality and temper is making Zelena cringe. How did her mother could trap herself into a marriage with a man this... unentertaining?

Honestly, Zelena doesn't know what to think of her mother yet. She wants her approval, wants Cora to be proud of her, somehow, but the woman is cold and distant, playing an act, the defiance obvious when she looks over at she welcomed her in her home nonetheless, gave her a room bigger than her old house, and new clothes of fine quality. It must mean something.

Zelena is walking around the house, alone, because her mother and Henry had to leave for the afternoon -a border issue it seems, something about an intrusive neighbor. And she's curious. So while there is no one to stop her, she opens a door. Or tries to. It's closed, and Zelena doesn't have the key. But it's not an issue. She waves her hand over the doorknob, and smiles as the familiar click comes to her ears. She checks her surroundings, but the maids and servants are nowhere to be seen. She cracks the door with interest, curiosity winning her over, peeks her head inside.

She's barely been in Cora's office, aside from the day she arrived. Her mother mostly met with her in the living room, kept all her secrets hidden in here. That's why Zelena is doing the same, not revealing where she comes from, not mentioning the slippers, hiding her magic.

She looks around in awe once the door is closed behind her, because this place is so huge, so beautiful, decorated with the most finest arts. She observes the library with interest, her hand sliding against the shelves, pulling on some books. She goes to the desk, careful not to have moved anything from its original place once she has examined it and put it back. She pulls on a drawer, and...

It's her.

Her sister.

It is a portrait, and Regina is way younger, but Zelena is sure. This is the girl she saw in the wizard's mirror.

She takes the paper slowly, staring at the drawing, at the gorgeous and thin features of the girl, the bright dark eyes, long ebony locks, the way she's sitting straight in her seat. But there is something else. Something the artist caught. Something small, easy to miss; but not to her. She recognizes this anywhere, has seen it in her own reflection countless of times.

Pain.

There is pain written in the darkness of her orbs, in the way she seems absent, how her head is slightly ducked to the side. This is not something she saw in Oz. This is different, and Zelena wonders. How is it that being surrounded by loving parents and wealth can bring so much despair into someone's life?

"Staring at your daughter's portrait again, dearie?"

Zelena swirls around, the paper falling from her hands and onto the floor. Her face is as stunned as the man's in front of her. Well, man might not be the most accurate word to describe... this.

"You're not Cora."

"No," she answers boldly. "I'm Cora's other daughter."

"That's not possible."

"I'm Zelena," she announces solemnly, straightening her spine and lifting her chin, the way she did with her mother on the day they met. "Her first born."

She hides the trembling of her hands by fidgeting with her fingers, holding her breath as the...  _thing_ , walks closer to her.

"We'll see about that."

He rips one of her hair, and she jumps, surprised, wondering what the hell that  _thing_  is and what his connection is with her mother. But she waits, patiently, anxiously, while he puts her hair in a small vial, and it turns green. A bright, shining green, that has him lifting interested eyes at her.

"Well, hello, dearie."

"He... Hello," she replies in an hesitant voice. "And," she swallows dryly, "What are you?"

"What? What? What? My, my, what a rude question!" He says with a voice lacking any real offense, but she apologizes anyway. " _I_  am not a  _what_."

"Sorry, I didn't know such...  _creatures_ ," she attempts with a wince, but she really doesn't know what she's doing here, "existed."

"That much is clear. Allow me to introduce myself." He bows in front of her, the first letter of his name rolling under his tongue, "Rumpelstiltskin."

She lets him straighten up, and watches in silence as he moves towards the couch, holding his hand as an invitation for her to follow, so she does, takes place next to him, shy and uncomfortable, but she has so many questions.

"How do you know my mother?"

"There is much history between your mother and me, history both in the past and in the future."

"But Cora never mentioned me?" She questions, hopeful. Maybe this imp will have the answers her mother seems to hold from her.

"A firstborn daughter? I think that's something I would have remembered." He raises his finger, announces. "Now there's a spell... a curse, I've been working on it for a very very long time. Now I foresaw that this curse could only be cast by Cora's daughter."

"Regina," Zelena sighs, looking down.

"That's what I thought. Until today." Her eyes shoot up at the satisfaction in his voice, the way he made her understand that she's in course for the job.

"Me?" She questions with astonishment.

"Well, you see, your sister's soul is out of my reach for now. She's too... happy," he says with annoyance, " _in love_." He rolls his eyes before continuing. "She would never agree to this. But one day will come, when she will lose everything. Soon. The day Regina will have to face her past again, your sister will lose everything she loves." His tone shifts entirely from a secret to an excited one, startling her, because how could he be satisfied by the pain of others? "She'll be ready for me then. But since you're here, maybe I don't have to wait." He gives her what she thinks is a smile, a crooked one, a smirk. "Tell me... What do you know about magic, Zelena?"

xxx

Five weeks later

She's been secretly training with Rumpelstiltskin for weeks, and the amount of knowledge he has about magic is still amazing her. She doesn't know what his curse is about, doesn't care, because he's the first person who seems to, if not care, at least pay attention to her.

Her mother is trying, things are getting better between them, but it's not quite the warm relationship she was expecting when she arrived in this land.

"Zelena, dear."

Speaking of...

She turns around to find Cora looking at her intensely, the thin line of her mouth forming a small smile.

"Yes, mother?"

"Come with me! I wish to speak with you about something."

She follows the woman along corridors, passing open and close doors, silent, obedient, until they stop in front of a room that she knows. She's surprised to see Cora opening her office and offering her to enter. She sits on the large couch when her mother beckons for her to, and waits, as she watches Cora walk to her desk, opening a drawer and...

Zelena's breath catches in her throat. Could she... Could her mother know about her presence here weeks ago? If she does, why hasn't she said anything all this time? She holds her breath when Cora meets her on the couch, sitting next to her, her gaze still staring at the drawing of her other child. Of Regina. The same one Zelena saw when she broke into the room.

"I think it's time I tell you the truth." She hands her the paper, drawing her gaze to it, the young woman taking it carefully. "I know you've spoken with Henry." Zelena's head snap up. "I know he told you about his...  _our,_ " she corrects, wincing, as if voicing it is making her sick, "daughter."

"Regina," Zelena says softly.

"Yes. Your sister."

What is this all about? Zelena wonders. Why is her mother talking to her about Regina? From what she knows, the girl disappeared more than three years ago, leaving no trace behind. Could Cora have found a way to find her?

"She's pretty," she says honestly, because it is the truth.

"Indeed she is. Although this portrait has been made years ago, when she was only sixteen. She must be twenty-one by now."

"I know she disappeared suddenly," Zelena attempts shyly, and a flash of anger appears in Cora's eyes, before softening. Or what can be considered soft for the woman. "Do you know what happened?"

Cora looks away for a second, then sighs, a bit too dramatically to be considered real pain.

"We had a...  _disagreement_ ," Cora explains calmly. "Regina was a strong and free spirit, she dreamt of things that she couldn't have, futile things. She thought she was in love with our stable boy, and the man assured me of his true feelings. But I read between the lines. He was after her wealth, her  _name_. He knew she was the only heir of our fortune. So I opened Regina's eyes to the truth, and she understood. The King proposed to her, and she accepted. They were supposed to marry, so we traveled to his castle. And then... All I know is that when I woke up, my daughter wasn't in her bedroom anymore. It had been turned upside-down, and that's why I assumed the boy came back to kidnap her. That's what everyone thought." She pauses, for the effect or because she needs a real break, Zelena isn't sure. "We searched for her for months, years, without any results. And recently, I finally heard some news about her."

Zelena straightens up on the couch, containing her interest.

"Are they good news?"

Cora ducks her head to the side, not looking at her. "It's... complicated. The people who told me about her-"

"The couple who came several times here?"

Cora nods. "They didn't just tell me that she was alive. They told me who she's become." Letting out a deep breath, she confesses. "She was never kidnapped. She ran away."

There is genuine incomprehension in Zelena's voice when she asks, "Why?"

"Regina and I always had a stormy relationship. She always fought the idea that I was trying to do what was best for her. That I loved her. I think running away from her wedding to the King was her way to prove her point."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Not yet," Cora admits. "But I'm working on it." She then removes the paper from her hands, letting it fall on the coffee table, and takes her hands in her, Zelena's eyes opening in surprise at the gesture, because Cora has never initiated such a kind touch before. "I know things between us aren't simple, Zelena. I abandoned you when you were a baby, and for that I'm sorry."

"It's okay, mother. I know you didn't have enough to take care of me back then. It was for my own good, to give me my best chances. You told me the story already."

"It was. But I want you to know that, seeing the beautiful young lady you've become, I have no doubt you will make me even prouder than what your sister might have. You're already on the right path."

Tears are brimming in Zelena's eyes, a sudden, unexpected surge of a warm feeling that can't be considered love yet. But she's touched. These words are the kindest her mother has ever spoken to her. The first time she seems to care, at least tries to establish a connection deeper than just the blood they share.

"Thank you, mother," she says honestly, "I promise, I won't disappoint you."

And then, for the very first time since she arrived, for the first time since she gave life to her, Cora takes her firstborn in her arms. And in that moment, Zelena thinks that leaving Oz and coming after her biological mother, was actually the best thing that ever happened to her.

xxx

Three days later

"Rumpelstiltskin?" Zelena calls, dropping the vial she has in hand on the table.

"Hmm?"

"Can I... Would you..." She sighs and shakes her head. She's been asking herself this question for days now, since her talk with her mother, and she needs an answer, she needs to know. But the man is more eager to speak in riddles than clearly.

"Why do you want me to cast that curse? What will it do?" She spills in one breath, nervous, glancing up and down between the glittering face and the ground.

"Not your business, dearie," he answers simply.

"Well, if I have to cast it, I think I should at least know what it is about," Zelena replies boldly, lifting her chin. "I think I should-"

"You thought wrong," he cuts her again. And then, walking towards her, tapping on his own chest with one finger, then lifting it straight in front of him, he finishes. "My curse, my business."

"Speaking of business!" A voice comes from behind Zelena, startling her, drawing both Rumpelstiltskin's and her attention.

There, leaning against a wall, is a man. Dark hair, dark eyes, black leather jacket with a purple scarf. Handsome, but mysterious. Dangerous, probably.

"Busy," he speaks again, looking at the imp, not paying attention to her. "Should I..."

"No, no. Nothing important going on here."

Nothing important? Zelena tries to call her master again, says his name, but he lifts his hand and addresses the man who's joined him at another table. "Ignore her."

A proud and satisfied smile on his lips, the man pulls out of his satchel a round, transparent though crystallized sphere, handing it to the imp. "I got what you wanted."

But Rumpelstiltskin doesn't seem satisfied. Confused even, maybe. He waves in front of him, his voice dropping a few octaves. "What about the slippers?"

The slippers? Could he be talking about... She turns her back on them, but Zelena's brain is suddenly alert, her hearing sharp, lending an ear to focus on the conversation only.

"Couldn't find them. Heard talk they've already been moved to another land."

"That's what I needed to get to that other land."

The surprise makes her knock into a few vials in front of her, the sudden silence behind her the proof they noticed, but she tries to act normal, mentally scolds herself but remain apparently still and calm, quiet. So is this what the curse is about? Go to another land? Leave this place? But why? Rumpelstiltskin has power here, even owns his own castle, where he transports her for each one of their secret lessons. What could be worthy enough for him to leave all of this behind?

"Well, come with me in my hat, I'm sure we can work something out." The man has lost his confidence, but he doesn't lack resources it seems.

"No, no. Your hat only transports between magical realms. I need to get to a land without magic."

"Why would anyone want that?"

Good question, Zelena thinks. Rumpelstiltskin is the most powerful sorcerer here. He has a much known reputation, so much gold it would be enough to feed the whole kingdom for a decade or two. He inspires fear, people are bowing to his feet. Why giving up everything? Why taking the risk to lose all this?

"My business."

"You want the ball or not?"

"Mmh... Yes. Help yourself to as much gold as you deem appropriate."

Zelena's eyes open in realization. It is  _her_  slippers that Rumpelstiltskin wants. No doubt about that anymore. The question is... Is she ready to give them to him?

xxx

A week later

She listens carefully as the woman watches her steps, the man holding her hand and waist guiding her firmly. Her feet graze the floor gracefully, barely resting before lifting again. She feels herself being lifted in the air and swung around, looking down when he carefully puts her down, immediately leading her into another move.

"Keep your chin up, Zelena!" She hears from behind her.

She obliges immediately, meets the man's dark eyes, swallows heavily at his devilish smirk and the way his gaze falls between her breasts, hungry, making her feel like a piece of meat. But Cora is watching, and Zelena hasn't missed a step for once, so she keeps focusing on the dancing, the music, until it's over. Until the music stops, and she can pull away from that strange man who makes her feel uncomfortable.

He brings her hand to his lips, kissing its back softly, his fingers gripping her hand when she starts to take it back.

"This was a lovely dance, miss. I'm already looking forward to the next one."

"Enough of that, Guy! We already have an agreement, and it doesn't involve my dear Zelena," Cora steps in, smiling at the man before turning to her daughter. "It was almost perfect, dear. I'm glad to see these lessons prove to be effective."

"Thank you, mother."

"Why don't you go change and get some rest, and I'll meet you after? I have some matters I need to discuss with Sir de Gisborne."

More than happy to be rid of the man, Zelena agrees, bowing her head politely to him, then taking the hands her mother holds for her, smiling honestly at the contentment she seems to read on Cora's face.

She walks to her room in silence, locks the door behind her, and hums in satisfaction.

Things are getting better with Cora, it's obvious. It's not just the dancing. Since that day in Cora's office, Zelena noticed an evident change in her mother's behavior towards her. More smiles, physical contacts, time together. She's not letting her into her business, but Zelena doesn't mind. She came to find a mother, and she finally feels like she has one. She finally feels like she  _exists_.

"Well well well, where have you been all this time?"

She jumps back, colliding with the door, her eyes snapping up to meet the glittering ones of Rumpelstiltskin. She holds back a sigh. She knows why he's here, why he seems displeased. Since she learned that he wanted the slippers she has carefully hidden in her room, she's been avoiding him. She missed her last two lessons with him, because she wanted to focus on her relationship with her mother. Whatever reasons Rumpelstiltskin has for wanting to leave this world, she doesn't care, not now that things are finally going well with Cora.

Not counting the fact that she finally told Cora about her magic, and the woman has taken the news with much interest -a little too much interest maybe, but Zelena is too happy to care. So she has someone else to guide her step in the magical field.

"I was busy."

"Oh, I see that." He takes a step forward, a finger raised in front of her. "I don't like to be left waiting."

"I know, I'm sorry."

Ducking his head to the side, he studies her for a moment. "Are you ready to continue your training with me?"

She hesitates for a second, because she thought she was certain, but now that he's here, standing in front of her, she finds herself intimidated, and her certainty suddenly disappears.

"I don't know."

Rumpelstiltskin rolls his eyes. "This isn't an answer. Why would you hesitate? I thought you were enjoying these lessons."

Before a sound has escapes her lips, Zelena finds herself being pushed forward as the door suddenly opens wide, and she almost stumbles and falls, catches herself at the last second.

"What lessons? What are  _you_  doing here?"

The voice makes her freeze. Zelena turns around to find a fuming Cora standing in the doorway, staring at Rumpelstiltskin in cold anger.

"Hello, dearie!"

"What are you doing in my daughter's bedroom?" Cora thunders, walking in his direction and stopping two feet from him.

"Well, she's my student," Rumpelstiltskin giggles.

"Your student?" Turning to Zelena, she raises her brow. "How do you even know him?"

"We met, one day you and Henry weren't here. He offered to help me control my magic," the young woman confesses shyly.

"Why didn't you ask me instead?"

"Because I was scared you might reject me. Until the day I told you, I wasn't sure how you would react at the idea of me being born with magic, and Rumpelstiltskin had already offered, so..."

Cora grits her teeth, but doesn't mouth her discontentment, instead waves her hand in front of them.

"This is a lesson then? I don't see any magical tools, what are you studying?" She can't help but bite.

"Actually, dearie, you precious daughter has missed her last ones with me. That's why I'm here. To get an explanation as to why it happened."

Both adults turn to Zelena, waiting. She swallows dryly, feeling the pressure of the consequences her answer might hold.

"I... I just... I'm not sure if I want to keep going."

"Like I told you before your mother interrupted us, this isn't an answer, dearie."

"I know," Zelena stares into her mother's eyes, taking the confidence she needs to stand up to the sorcerer from her. "I think I don't want to continue."

"And why's that? Did I ever disappoint you?" Rumpelstiltskin speaks with a melodramatic tone.

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

Zelena is at a loss for words and excuses, has no idea how to speak the truth to the man without revealing too much, but she doesn't need to. Cora steps between them, her back on her daughter and addressing the imp directly with a firm voice that speaks no argument, surprising both her daughter and Rumpelstiltskin.

"I think Zelena has every right to stop her training with you, and she doesn't have to justify herself. She's my daughter, I can take care of her. I can teach her what she needs to know."

"Just like you've so wonderfully succeeded with your other daughter," Rumple giggles. "Should I remind you that you have another child, and what she did?"

"Tell me where she is!" Cora threatens, walking right to his face, her voice suddenly cold and sharp as ice, trembling with fury, and Zelena takes a step back, startled. She's never seen Cora this furious before.

The imp's insufferable giggle is heard again, not impressed in the slightest by the woman's hardness.

"You know I won't. Regina has a more important fate than you can imagine."

"I want to know where my daughter is!"

"Then you'll have to figure it on your own, maybe with those two people you seem to talk to regularly. Now, if we're done here..."

He disappears without finishing his sentence, leaving a breathless and fuming Cora behind, and an astonished Zelena who's still staring at her mother in disbelief. It doesn't take long for Cora to come back to herself, straightening her spine and smoothing her dress, turning to her daughter with a forced smile, and Zelena honestly ignores if she's telling the truth or what she thinks she wants to hear.

"You made the right choice. You and I, Zelena, we don't need anyone. We have each other, this is all that matters."

xxx

Two weeks later

Zelena heads for her mother's library, in search of a specific book about magic, one that she'd studied already once and wants to check before the next lesson, but she couldn't find it in her room. She looks over the shelves, the tip of her finger brushing the covers as she reads the titles, but it's not here. She goes through them a second time, just in case, but no luck.

Zelena turns her back to the books, frowning, wondering where the hell she left it, when an idea comes to her. Maybe it stayed in the small salon where she decided to stop and read the last time.

The young woman crosses the hallway, enters the room, goes to the desk when she notices the two books resting on it. Disappointment takes her again. It's not either of them. Walking around the desk, Zelena sees the drawer, so she pulls to open it, furrows her brow when she finds it locked.

Curiosity wins her over, and she hovers her hand above the lock, a green glow escaping and unlocking the desk.

Why would a simple drawer be locked? What is it hiding?

When she opens it, she finds a long metallic box of a golden color, carved with heavy lines and curves. Her hand moves to touch it, as if attracted by it, and the moment her skin comes in contact with the cold structure, Zelena startles, images coming to her.

She sees the image of a young girl with long dark hair falling over her shoulders, wearing a sparkling elegant pink dress, harboring a thin silver head jewelry. Zelena sees the girl look at the drawer, and the way she seems attracted by it, how she abandons her doll to come and open it, facing the exact same box as she herself is now, her fingers covering it, before it-

"Zelena?"

Zelena jumps back, quickly closing the box she doesn't remember having opened, and pushing the drawer closed, turning around the desk to meet her mother as she enters the room.

"Ah, you're here!"

"Yes, mother," Zelena says politely, although she tries to hide her fear of almost having been caught red-handed, attempts to keep a face bare of any emotions.

"Come here, dear! It's tea time soon, and we're having company. I want you to get ready to greet our guests."

When Zelena follows her mother outside the room, she's still confused about the images she saw, but she's certain of one thing. That little girl was definitely her sister.

xxx

Six days later

"Rumpelstiltskin!"

Zelena paces in her bedroom, impatient. Who knows how long Cora will be out?

Over the past few days, she couldn't stop thinking about the vision she had when she touched the box. Of course, when she returned to repeat the experience, it was gone, but now Zelena has the dire need to find out more about her sister. And surprisingly, it's not her past that interests her, but her future. For that, she only knows one person who can answer, but she also knows she has to be able to trade the information with something of value. So she has made some researches, in the magical books she has access to. Today, she finally found something, and she is almost certain that the Dark Curse she's read about a few times is the one the Dark One is talking about. The one he wants her to cast.

This curse will send them all to another land, a land without magic. The same reason why Rumple wanted the slippers to begin with. It can't be a coincidence. And given all the unanswered questions Zelena has in mind, she thinks she can use this leverage to convince him to answer some.

Why these particular questions? She doesn't know. But there is something in her, an uneasy feeling growing inside her every time Regina is mentioned, that makes Zelena wonder if maybe, the inability she has to fully take her mother's side and turn against her sister, is not just a fluke. Because since the first time she saw Regina's drawing and noticed the despair in her eyes, something that was clearly gone in the images of her she remembers seeing in Oz, Zelena has been unable to understand how it is that someone growing up surrounded by her parents could be less happier than with people she met in a forest. Remembering the look of pure happiness on her sister's face while she was in the mysterious man's arms, and also the fact that the younger woman was first in line to cast a curse created to send them all away, Zelena wonders what will happen to her sister to make her so drastically change her mind. And she knows for certain that Rumpelstiltskin holds all the answers she seeks.

" _Rumpelstiltskin_!"

"No need to yell, dearie, I'm right here." She swirls around as the coy voice comes from behind her, her eyes landing on the glittering slim figure sitting on the large sofa of her bedroom. "But I'd like to know why you called me. Last time we saw each other, you basically fired  _me_ ," he falsely pouts, but his smirk gives him away.

"I have a question."

"I don't do questions."

"You will for this one."

"And why's that?"

"Because I'll give you something you want in return."

"I doubt that."

Zelena's lips tug to the side, a smirk forming around the corners of her mouth. "You know Rumple, you never gave me much credit, but I know how to listen. I know why you want your curse to be cast, and that you need Regina or me to do it."

Rumple doesn't seem impressed, just rolls his eyes with annoyance. "Your point?"

"I can promise you that if she refuses to cast it,  _I_ will."

"Now, you've got my attention," he replies, his voice is soft and mellifluous, clearly interested.

"Answer my question first."

"With no guarantee you'll hold to your word?" He waves his forefinger in front of her. "Not happening!"

"Then you won't get what you want."

"I still have your sister, dearie. Despite what you think, Regina's future is  _oh!_  So full of  _me_  everywhere."

"Then tell me!"

"What?"

"Regina-" she starts, but he cuts her immediately.

"I won't tell you where she is."

"That's not what I was about to ask. Tell me what her future is made of. Tell me what it is that will happen to her, and that will lead her to you." Rumpelstiltskin is eyeing her strangely, a frown marring his forehead. "You said once that she will lose everything. What did you mean by that?"

"Why do you want to know? You don't even know her."

"My business," she replies forcefully, mimicking the way he has for a habit to throw that excuse to her face. "But let's make a deal! In exchange for answers to my questions, I will make sure whatever purpose you have in casting this curse is achieved."

"Deal!" He unrolls a parchment that magically appears in his hand, smirking.

As she's signing her name at the bottom of the page, Zelena has a strange feeling invading her. Like a doubt, about what she's doing. The sensation that something is changing, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She writes her name nonetheless, and straightens her spine, giving him back his quill.

"Alright," he relents, crossing his legs and folding his arms on his chest. "I told you that Regina will one day meet her past again." Zelena nods. "On this day, your sister will lose what she loves the most."

"Her husband?" she questions, remembering the love emanating from the couple when she saw them in Oz.

"Indeed, but not only. You see, when that day will happen, your sister will have a child. And she will lose him too."

"That's awful!" Zelena exclaims with disgust, looking away. That's not something she could wish to anyone.

"Yes, well, depending on who you ask!" Rumpelstiltskin muses, obviously not caring nor being shocked by the death of a child. How many did he kill himself? Zelena wonders. She already knows the man is using dark magic, that he knows neither pity nor compassion.

"Anyway," he resumes, "someone will be there to try to save her, but her attacker will get rid of them. And then, your sister will be sold, to a man you've already met. I even think you danced with him on the day you didn't show up for your lesson."

"Guy de Gisborne?" Zelena asks in disbelief.

"Himself. What he will do to her..." Rumple whistles in admiration, causing Zelena to force herself not to picture all the horrible things he's putting in her mind. "Pure genius! He will break her down to the point that she will be completely consumed by hate and revenge, and-"

"That's when you'll come into play," Zelena finishes for him, looking away, feeling slightly sick at the thought.

She's never met her sister, only knows from her what the Wizard and Cora told her, and a bit of what Henry let slip when she questioned him the previous days, but she has a gut feeling that despite her stupidity of running away from a royal life, Regina doesn't deserve to know such a fate. She doesn't deserve to lose everything. She betrayed Cora, but she hasn't hurt anyone. Of course, she's a fool for turning her back to her own parents and a marriage to the King, and Zelena can't understand why she did that. But this, the smile on Rumpelstiltskin's lips when he reveals to her her sister's fate, feels wrong. As if it shouldn't happen.

"How can you be so sure that this is what will happen? You said her future is full of you. If you leave this world, will your disappearance from this realm change her fate?"

"Seeing the future is not an accurate thing," Rumpelstiltskin sighs. "It's bits and pieces put together, and there's different versions of each. There's no way of knowing for sure, but it's not unreasonable to believe that me being gone will have an effect on her life."

Zelena acknowledges his words with another wordless nod. She doesn't know why she feels the need to know so much about her little sister, a woman who probably ignores everything about her very existence, but one thing she's sure of, is that Rumpelstiltskin won't let her get away without paying her due.

* * *

_Present_

_Regina looks down, hugging herself and tugging her coat tighter around her shoulders._

" _When Zelena told me about Gisborne and his deal with my mother, I knew she was telling the truth, because he had revealed the same thing before our duel. Her sincerity helped me overcome my doubts, at least a little. From her side, the fact that Zelena learned about what was supposed to happen to me, is one of the reasons why she helped me. When she touched that box, she felt like a... connection, with me. I know, it's weird. But recently, I learned something, a secret that my mother had kept from my sister and myself for years, related to this box. Something that could've changed our lives entirely. You see, Daniel, I always knew that I could've had another fate if my mother had been caring and loving. Turns out that I didn't know how right I actually was."_


	23. The most resilient heart : Chapter 15

_Present_

" _I wasn't certain back then, and truth be told I probably wasn't even coherent when it happened, but I was right about my sister since the beginning. When my mother found Robin and I, when she killed our baby, the feeling I got about Zelena, the thought I had that she had tried to spare Robin's life, it wasn't just my imagination._

_Because after discovering what was supposed to happen to me, and witnessing the scene, Zelena found herself disagreeing with our mother for the first time. She wasn't strong enough to stand up to her at this point, but I think maybe that's when she began to realize Cora's intentions weren't always in others' best interest."_

* * *

Fourteen months ago

"Zelena!"

The young woman jumps on the couch, closing the book she's reading as her mother storms into the room.

"What is it, mother?"

"Come with me! I finally found your sister."

"Really?" Zelena stands up smiling from ear to ear, excited. Cora seems thrilled, so there's no reason why she wouldn't be.

"Yes. She made contact with someone I know in a town near the kingdom's border. By the time I was warned, she was gone, but she can't be far. If I transport us there, we might catch up on her."

Before Zelena even realizes it, she's on the edge of a town, in front of a small shop with low quality jewelry. Cora bends towards the man, asks him some questions -what Regina was doing, if she was alone, where she headed to- before walking at fast speed in the forest's direction, her daughter rushing to follow.

"I already explained the situation between Regina and I," Cora says, and Zelena nods. "So she may not be happy to see me. She's with a man who seems to be her husband. I'm certain she told him a bunch of lies about me, so the fool will try to get in my way. I need you to keep him away while I talk with your sister."

"How should I do that?"

Cora raises an eyebrow at her. "Your magic, dear! You haven't taken lessons from me and Rumpelstiltskin for nothing. It's time to show me what you've learned."

The rest of the way is made of silence between them, only disturbed by the ruffling noise of leaves when they walk through bushes, their dresses not really appropriate for a walk in the forest, but before Zelena can start to complain, Cora stops abruptly, her daughter lifting her head from the ground to watch the sight of two slim figures embracing each other maybe half a mile away. She doesn't have time to say anything, because she disappears into a cloud of blue smoke, reappearing in front of the couple that's still grinning at each other widely.

"- _you that I will do everything within my power to make you feel like this every day, Regina_."

"Oh, how sweet!"

Cora's sarcastic voice interrupts them and makes them swirl around in one quick movement, the horses behind them stiffening and becoming agitated by the second. The man next to Regina grabs his bow and positions himself in front of her, but she pushes at his arm, staring at her mother in what Zelena can only define to be confusion and hatred, mixed with fear that she tries to hide behind a hard face.

Regina hasn't noticed her sister, neither has the man who's supposedly her husband, so Zelena takes a second to look at the younger woman. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, shorter than she remembers it being on the portrait she saw in Cora's office, but pretty much the same as it had been in the wizard's mirror.

Despite her hardness and evident defensive posture, she has a lovely face. Dark eyes, thin features, a depth in her gaze carrying more history than most, the scar above her upper lip probably a reminder of that past she left behind.

She's beautiful, Zelena thinks. Radiant, even in these circumstances.

_"Mother_."

"Hello, Regina! It's been too long."

Zelena listens to the exchange between the two women in silence, deciding it's not her place yet to speak or act, the man having made no threatening move towards them yet. She stays quiet and still, but she can't help but stiffen and widen her eyes when she hears her sister accusing their mother of murder.

"Is that why you accused Daniel -the man  _you murdered_ \- of having me kidnapped? Because you were  _worried_?"

Cora's silence is enough of an answer for Zelena, the proof of her guilt, but despite the tremor in Regina's voice proving how much she believes in these words, she can't help but think their mother must have a good excuse to have come so far as to take a life.

It's only when Cora steps to the side that Zelena realizes Regina is staring at her in question, head ducked slightly, jaw clenched.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you don't know each other. Regina..." Cora starts with a solemn voice. "Meet Zelena.  _Your sister."_

Regina seems not to believe her mother, and somehow Zelena feels pained. She knows Regina probably never heard of her existence, she's aware that being reunited with your mother and discovering that you have a sister can be a hard pill to swallow, but she hopes the woman is open to the possibility of getting to know each other.

"My sister?" Regina says dubiously.

"Yes. I had her first." Cora explains calmly. "You don't have the same father, if that's what you're thinking. I had to give her away to ensure her future. What life could she have had with an unmarried and poor girl for a mother? But she found me, and now I'm fully capable of taking care of her."

"Destroy her, you mean! Or did you just found a docile replacement for the shame that I am?" Regina spits bitterly, drawing Zelena's attention, making her take a step forward, because Regina is wrong, that's not it. She kicks herself mentally when her voice comes shyer than she'd intended, but she finishes with a reproaching tone nonetheless.

"You did refuse to marry a King. Mother only wanted what was best for you. Like she did with me."

She looks up at Cora, seeking her approval, finding her nodding slightly, smiling lightly in agreement. This is a good point. She thought meeting her sister would pull her away from her mother, but it seems the effect is the exact opposite.

"What was best for me? For you?" Regina chuckles dryly, bitterly. " _She killed_  the man  _I loved_  in front of me. She  _ripped_  his heart  _out_ , and she  _crushed_  it, so I could marry a King older than my own father! She probably abandoned you because having a child would have stopped her plan of marrying up. Don't fool yourself,  _Zelena_! Our mother only does what is best for  _her_. If someone else gets hurt, it's just collateral damage, even if it's her own flesh and blood."

"Enough!" Cora thunders and Zelena gasps as she watches her sister flying in the air and colliding with the hard ground, a bit foggy. She quickly dismisses the punishment though, she herself received some blows worse than that from her father, and for less than insubordination.

"Believe me,  _sister_!" Regina continues as she attempts to get up. "It won't take long before you realize who she truly is."

"Regina, stop!" Cora insists.

"By the way, I'm curious, mother. It's been 3 years. How did you find me?"

Zelena watches and listens carefully her mother's answer, discovering everything that has been hidden from her for months, everything her mother learned but didn't bother to tell her. Why? Lack of trust? That could be understandable, Cora only met her other daughter a few months ago, and as close as they grew, they're not close enough to spill their secrets to each other. Zelena did hold back several things from her mother after all, she can't blame the woman for doing the same.

She witnesses the official meeting between Regina's husband and Cora, the hate and disgust emanating from them both towards the other.

She stares in stupefaction at the glowing bright red heart in her mother's hand, listens to her confession of how she stole the hearts of so many more, and wonders why? What did Regina do to push her mother to that limit in order to find her? Is it possible that Cora's love for Regina is so strong that she'd been ready to move heaven and earth in order to find her?

However, now, disappointment is evident in Cora's tone, in the way she disagrees with her daughter's choices.

Zelena notices the couple is readying themselves for a run, is startled by her mother's harsh tone before she calls her name, and she knows what to do.

She raises her hand, and the flow of magic rips her husband out of Regina's arms, pinning him against a tree, holding him tightly. He struggles against her powers, but it's nothing she can't handle. The man's eyes are pleading his wife, to save him or run away, Zelena doesn't know, but it doesn't matter. Regina is not going anywhere, and the dagger she quickly grabs from her belt will cause them no harm.

But then, she bends in half, screaming in agony while she falls on her knees, a hand over her abdomen, face crumpling in pain, tears falling down her cheeks.

Zelena's gaze is drawn to her mother, to the hand slowly closing into a tight fist while Regina's distress only increases, terror written in her dark eyes in the rare moments she manages to open them, and it's only then that Zelena understands. She understands what is happening. She understands that  _this,_  is what Rumple warned her about. She expected Regina to have a child with her, but she never imagined this. Regina  _has_  a child.  _Inside_  her. A growing unborn child that Cora is undoubtedly getting rid of.

"Mother, what are you doing?" she questions with astonishment, because how can she do this?

"Teaching your sister a lesson, darling! She's betrayed me one too many times."

And then, just to be sure. "Are you-?"

"This baby is an abomination." Cora cuts her. "I won't let her sully my blood with that bastard."

She's dumbfounded. It's happening. It's real. Her mother is murdering a baby without even blinking. Her own grandchild.

Zelena wants to do something, wants to stop her, but she can't. She finds herself paralyzed by her fear and astonishment, by the realization of the scene she's caught in the middle of. She ignores what Regina might have done to deserve such a treatment, but Zelena can't agree with this.

Unfortunately, before she can even find herself able to move a finger, her sister crumbles on the ground, Cora's hand falling along her side, spitting the next words.

"I'd hoped Leopold would still have you, even after all this time. But after seeing what you've become, you're not worthy of a King. This is such a waste!"

Zelena's magic suddenly stops without her doing anything, startling her, when Cora turns to the man, raising her hand again, closing it slowly, looking at him in disgust. It takes her a moment to recover, and a call from him, but Regina manages to get up, to walk to her husband while Cora keeps up the magic and the accusations, the young woman turning pleading eyes towards her mother and sister, begging. "Please, stop this!"

This is a nightmare.

Regina  _is_  losing everything, but Zelena can't find it in herself to be okay with the idea, has trouble even watching the scene. She now knows what Cora will do with her daughter once her husband is dead. Rumpelstiltskin's prediction is about to be fulfilled. Just...

She hears it, turns her head immediately. There's a carriage coming their way, suddenly speeding up and shooting at them when they're close enough to realize what is happening.

She knows Cora will get rid of them without flinching, so Zelena urges, digging deep into her bravery. "Let's go, mother! I think she got the message anyway."

It's a lame excuse, and she can see it in the way Cora angrily looks at her, but it gets the job done. Cora's hand releases the man's throat, both him and his wife falling on the ground in front of them, Regina totally uncaring of their presence as she attempts to wake him -Robin is is name it seems- up. For a moment, Zelena's heart squeezes in her chest at the idea that she acted too late, guilt washing over her, but soon, Robin's eyes are snapping open, staring at his wife in disbelief.

"This is not over, Regina. I will make you pay for the shame you brought upon us."

Zelena looks at her mother, then her sister. She knows that there is close to no chance for Regina to have realized what she's been saved from, beside her husband's death, but she tries to tell her silently through her eyes anyway.

She still doesn't understand the younger woman, still feels jealousy towards her for everything she was granted with and gave up, but right now, something else is overcoming all this.

Compassion.

She feels sorry for what she couldn't stop from happening, for the death weighting on her shoulders as much as their mother's, because Zelena wasn't fast enough to realize what Cora was doing. And even if she had been, would she have had the courage to stand up to her mother? She's not certain. Despite what just happened, Cora is her family, her mother, her blood, and she might not understand her reasons, but Zelena doesn't want to ruin the fragile relationship they've managed to built over the last months.

So she answers Regina's slight nod, and lets the blue smoke of Cora's magic surround her.

xxx

"Did you have to kill an innocent baby?" She questions her mother carefully, walking to the window and staring outside, playing the last hour's event in her mind over and over again.

"That child had nothing of innocence!" Cora bites coldly, washing her hands in a large flask. "It wasn't supposed to exist. If your sister had listened to me, she would have been the Queen right now, and carrying this kingdom's new prince."

"So that's all what this is about? Power?"

She's turned to face her mother, watches Cora walk to the couch, inviting her to sit next to her.

" _Power_ , Zelena, true power, endures. And then you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. I tried to teach that lesson to your sister, but she refused to listen. Now watch where it led her. And me! I never wanted this. I never wanted to have to do this. But she didn't give me a choice."

Xxx

Four days later

She's pacing in her chamber, unable to change her clothes and go to sleep. Even days later, she still can't get rid of the image of her sister on the ground, the most desperate scream she ever heard coming from her, agony written on her face. Every time she closes her eyes, the same scene comes back to haunt her. She believes Cora's words that she never wished to have come to that, that power is all that matters, but then why are these images stuck in her head?

"Having trouble sleeping, dearie?"

She jumps at the voice, swirls around to face Rumpelstiltskin, posing on her couch, half-victorious, half-amused.

"What are you doing here?" Zelena snaps, not in the mood for his insufferable giggle.

"I came to congratulate you. When I told you what I knew about your sister's fate. I didn't think you would use it to ruin her chances to be the lucky one." He giggles, and she cringes. "I just paid her a little visit, and I didn't see as much hate in her as I had hoped. She's desperate, and damaged, yes, definitely broken, but not as much as she would've have been if you had let your mother finish the job. So you reached your goal, dearie. By removing your sister from the game, you're obviously the winner. Very well played, Zelena! I didn't think you had it in you."

Zelena sees red. How dare he? How dare he think she stopped Cora from killing Robin so she would be the one to be chosen for casting his curse? How dare he think she took any pleasure in this?

She grabs the first object within her reach, and throws it at the imp, containing a raging scream when he just catches it and drops it on the sofa next to him.

"Stay the hell away from me!"

"Not happening!" He rises from the couch and walks to her. "We have a deal, remember? I came here to make sure you haven't forgotten about it."

Zelena shakes her head. She can't deal with him right now. She doesn't want to continue her lessons with him, doesn't want to become that monster who finds the way a woman is forced to witness the murder of her husband and child before being thrown into a dungeon entertaining . But he's right, she has no way around their deal. She's already doing it behind her mother's back, if the woman finds out, she won't be pleased at all.

Zelena mentally curses herself. She'd agreed to make this deal with him when her jealousy took over her fears, when she was so curious as to know how Regina would become her rival not only in their mother's heart, but in Rumple's plan also, that she forgot Cora's warning about the imp's deals. But now she wants  _nothing_  to do with him, refuses to cast a curse that will rip her out of everything she knows, everything she has, that will undoubtedly spread pain and misery.

She  _isn't_  that person.

"You know what? Forget that damn curse! I'm not casting it. I'll find another way to give you what you want."

"Well, unless you can take me to a land without magic, I'm afraid that's not possible."

Zelena blinks, and she hears something click in her mind. Suddenly the fog surrounding her for the last days fades, and she remembers. She remembers what it is exactly that she promised, and more importantly, she remembers what she  _possesses._ What Rumpelstiltskin wants. Not the Dark Curse. The land without magic! The slippers! She's been so shaken by the last events that she forgot, but now she remembers, and it's with a low and slow tone full of realization that she confesses. "I can."

It will keep her in this world, won't allow her to pay the Wizard back, but if she can take a hold on her own fate and get rid of that imp, then it might be worth the risk.

"I can take you there." She repeats, more clearly this time.

Rumpelstiltskin ducks his head to the side, serious, intrigued. "How?"

She takes a step back, and slightly grasps at her dress with both hands, lifting it a little, revealing the shining glittering slippers at her feet.

"These slippers... The wizard gave them to me. And they can take you anywhere you want to go." Lifting an eyebrow, she adds, carefully though. "It doesn't break our deal. I never promised you to cast your curse," Zelena reminds, watching as Rumpelstiltskin opens his eyes with interest and realization. "I only said I would give you a way to get what you wanted."

Slowly, she steps out of them, her bare feet grazing the floor as she moves away, looking at the way Rumpelstiltskin's hungry gaze is roaming over them. When he bends to the floor to take the slippers, greed shining in his eyes, she stops him mid-course, questions. "No trick? You don't come back. You leave me and my family alone?"

Sneering, he answers "Hmm…  _Yes_! You're free from our agreement, Zelena. And I have no reasons to go to your sister anymore." With a knowing and confident smile, he adds "But truly, dearie. It's not me you should be afraid of. At least, not anymore."

Before she has time to realize the meaning behind his words, he puts the slippers on, apparently not shocked in the slightest with his strange appearance, the shining silver shoes on his feet. One of his arms comes across his chest, the other is folded in his back as he bows almost comically, the words coming out of his mouth rolling under his tongue. "It was a pleasure making business with you."

He clicks his heels three times, and Zelena is facing nothing but an empty room.

xxx

2 days later

"Zelena! Grab your coat. We're leaving!"

Another quake makes the house tremble, and Zelena holds onto the doorjamb, lost.

"Mother, what is happening?"

"The King's men." Cora replies, taking her by the arm and dragging her along the corridors. "They're here for us."

"But I thought you put magical spells around the house."

"Yes, but those spells won't hold forever, and we can't stay here anymore. It's too late."

As they're entering the dining room, Henry appears in front of them, confused about what is happening.

"Cora, what did you do? Why are they here?"

But his wife dismisses him with a wave of her hand, walking past him as she keeps crossing room after room. "Not now, Henry!"

"Mother, where are we going?"

"I have something to do before we leave this place."

They finally stop when they are inside the main hall, their balance a bit shaken by the loud and strong blows of shattering magic hitting the building regularly. Breathless and scared, Zelena stares at her mother as she waves her hand in direction of the fireplace, before turning to her.

"It's done. Now we're going somewhere safe."

And a second later, Zelena opens her eyes to discover the faces of two people. The man and the woman that visited her mother for months in secret.

"Zelena, meet Lady Marian, and the sheriff of Nottingham."

xxx

A month later

It's been only a month, but Zelena is tired of all this. She and Cora have been hiding in Marian Fitzwalter's house since the day King Leopold's soldiers knocked on their door with the firm intention to arrest them. Being in another kingdom buys them some time, but they must be cautious, no one can know they're here. So of course, it means that they can't exit the house, can't come and go as they want, and Zelena feels more in prison than if she'd been locked in a cell.

Marian's father is a kind man, although a bit suspicious, but from a high education. He's clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but he seems to love his daughter very much, appears to be ready to do every sacrifice for her well being.

But this  _Marian_? Zelena has never met someone so full of rage before. So boring, also. The young woman is doing everything to make them comfortable, but it only increases Zelena's discomfort. This girl is just... empty,  _shallow_. All she can think of is revenge, of making Regina pay for stealing Robin from her. But in her story, there's one thing that Zelena doesn't understand.

From what she saw when she met her sister, the young girl clearly possesses no magic, otherwise she would've used it against them to save their lives. so there's no way for her to have bewitched Robin with any kind of spell, like the woman is pretending. Also, from the memories she has of what she saw in the wizard's mirror, from the devotion they showed to each other when they were attacked, despite her little knowledge of true love, Zelena is convinced that both their feelings are sincere.

It hasn't been created by magic, or a spell. It is  _true_ , and consequently Regina didn't steal Robin from Marian. Marian only lost Robin to another woman he loved more. Something she cannot tell the brunette, in fear of her mother's disapproval and of unleashing Marian's rage.

But truly, as she watches her make a plan to destroy the couple, Zelena wonders what it is that this woman wants to take from Regina now that her baby is gone. How is it that the death of a child is not enough?

Zelena hopes this madness will end soon.

When she decided to stand by her mother, she never expected for them to be chased by the King's knights. Well, honestly, it's mostly Cora who is targeted, but she assured her older daughter that she'd be accused of helping her, that Regina would testify against them both, and Zelena believes her. She indeed helped her mother, whether she knew about her plans and agreed with them or not.

For now, all she's been informed of is that her mother is working on a plan to fight the King and save their heads. Cora went with the Sheriff to secretly visit his cells, and she came back each time with a smile from ear to ear, only telling her daughter that things were going rather well, that soon, they would be able to take their revenge.

And Zelena wonders : Are revenge, treason and power the only things that matter in Cora's eyes?

xxx

3 weeks later

It's the day!

They're going.

They're going to the King's castle, to offer a deal. This time, Zelena asked for an honest answer from her mother. But when she questioned what she planned on doing if the man refused, Cora just smiled wickedly, shaking her head, saying  _Nothing good_  and then, after a pause  _For him._

They're not going alone. There's a small troop with them. Thieves and rapists, murderers, criminals, men arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham, who swore allegiance to Cora if she let them out of their cells and gave them a good reward.

Zelena doesn't like this. She has a gut feeling that she won't like how this day will end. Or night, more accurately, because it's pitch dark outside, and they're entering the castle in silence, heading for the King's chamber.

They meet a guard, and the man has his throat sliced before he has the chance to take out his sword. Another one. Another. And then, against all odds... The alarm is given, ruffling sounds of men awakening and running up and down the stairs, looking for them. They don't know where it comes from, but all Zelena can guess is that someone else beside the guards was still up and heard them. A servant, maybe. She doesn't care, and it doesn't matter.

When they arrive in front of the King's chamber, some of their men are already inside, pushing him out unceremoniously, forcing him on his knees, a sharp blade against his throat. Zelena watches as Cora walks slowly to him. She can't see the woman's face, but she imagines the victorious smile that must be plastered on her red painted lips.

"Leopold," Cora greets. "How nice it is to see you again!"

"I cannot say the same about you, unfortunately. You've changed so much since the last time we saw each other." He looks around quickly, not moving a finger. "What is this?"

"This, my friend, is a peace offering."

"You want to make peace with swords and blood?"

"I want to make peace with an alliance. Something that won't be broken."

"What do you have in mind?" The man struggles to speak as the blade is pressed against his skin, sweat dripping from his forehead.

So  _this_ , was the man her sister was supposed to marry? Regina wasn't wrong. He's probably older than Henry. Repulsive too. But being Queen is such a luxury, maybe it'd be worth it, Zelena tries to convince herself. But then, taking another look at the man, she shakes her head. No. Definitely too old for her.

"A marriage." Cora waves her hand to beckon for Zelena to join them, the woman obliging. "With my other daughter, Zelena."

Zelena misses the stupefaction in the King's eyes as she herself raises incredulous ones at her mother, her jaw dropping slightly, baffled. She can feel the man's gaze over her, but she's too stunned to move.

"You will never learn, Cora. After losing one daughter by trying to force her to marry me, now you want to do the same to the other?"

Zelena looks down at him then, notices the daggers he throws towards the older woman. And she knows what will happen tonight.

"I refuse your offer, Cora." Turning to Zelena, he adds. "Do not let her control your life. You're young, you have so much to discover. Your sister was right to run away, she deserved-"

A crack cuts him off effectively, his neck twisting in a weird angle, eyes and mouth wide open, all life leaving them. The body falls to the ground with a loud  _thud_ , and Zelena can't look away, even when Cora speaks again.

"Enough talking. You," Zelena is vaguely aware of her mother's arm lifting and pointing at a group of their men, the image somewhere in her sight. "Find the princess. Bring her to me."

xxx

4 months and a half later

It's been months since it happened. Since her mother took over the throne after coldly murdering the King. They've been living at the castle since, and Cora's been enjoying every ball and party, the excellent food, the people bowing in front of her. With the new alliance with King Georges and the fear their union inspires, they suddenly found new allies all over the Enchanted Forest –probably people too scared to rebel, Zelena thinks.

Georges also helped Cora to build her own army, the Black Knights, made of ruthless and strong men with no other purpose than executing Cora's orders. To murder. To kill. To slaughter. To do anything in their power to find Regina and Robin. Even if it means putting the Enchanted Forest to fire and sword.

After that fateful night when she took over the throne, Zelena expected her mother to be furious and send everyone after Snow White, but Cora told her that the princess was young, there was no way she'd be allowed to the throne so soon, so she wasn't a priority. Finding the Merry Men's camp is. Finding where Regina is hiding is. She explained to her other daughter that she doesn't want to kill the young woman. She said that death is too sweet for her. That she had to pay for her insubordination, for all the attacks she threw against her with no other purpose than humiliating her mother in front of her subjects. And indeed, Zelena still remembers the utter betrayal and rage in her mother's eyes when she discovered her subjects tied up, their carriages full of rotten fruits and vegetables, the message and insult more than evident, and to everyone's display as it happened in the castle's courtyard, where Cora was greeting her guests.

Zelena closed her eyes and looked away when she heard about the monastery's massacre, how successful it was, almost everyone having been killed. She walked out of the room when she listened to one of the Black Knights' captain telling them that they'd destroyed and burned an entire village known to be working with the Merry Men, killing everyone in the process, women and children included.

But now? After seeing the woman Cora told her to be one of Regina's closest friends being thrown into a dungeon, after carefully watching her sweet and innocent face bleeding under Gisborne's furious blows, after hearing her  _screams_  even in the middle of the night, and knowing that her mother is losing her patience, that Cora will resort to pull the woman's heart out of her chest to torture and force her to reveal the camp's location really soon, Zelena cannot take it anymore.

She went to see the prisoner several times in secret, to give her some water, to wipe her sweating and bleeding forehead with a clean cloth, all the while listening to her pleadings for help, but she wasn't ready to cross the line. She wasn't ready to betray her mother.

Until today.

Today, Zelena has decided to release the woman, and no matter what her mother will say. It's enough.

She transports herself in front of the cell, paralyzed at first at the sight of the blonde woman hanging from chains tightly tied to her wrists, her body limp swaying back and forth, head down, eyes closed. She waves her hand above the lock, and open the bars, but the woman is still.

"Hey?" She tries softly, shyly, walking to her.

The woman moves her head slightly, but doesn't wake. Zelena reaches for her face, fingers carefully tugging her chin up, trying to get her to open her eyes.

" _No"_  is all Zelena hears.

"What?"

The woman sighs, struggles to open her eyes, licking her lips but it's pointless, she hasn't drunk a drop of water in days.

A flask of fresh water appears next to them, and Zelena takes some, presses the liquid to the woman's lips. She attempts to drink, but instead coughs hardly, spitting out everything, blood too. Zelena removes the chains holding her, catching her body before it collapses to the ground.

"Not telling-" She tries again, interrupted by another cough fit, more blood dripping from her mouth. "where they-" A painful whimper, "are."

"I know," Zelena whispers kindly, pushing a strand of hair away from the woman's face. "I'm not here for that."

"Why?"

"I'm going to let you go," she assures, but all that comes out of the other woman's mouth is a low dry chuckle lacking any amusement.

"Too late."

She closes her eyes, and Zelena understands. She let her mother go too far. She didn't act in time. Again. Her own doubts and fears might cause the death of yet another innocent. But this is going to be the last one.

"What can I do?" She offers, even though she knows that nothing more can be done now.

The word  _Home_  is breathed in a whisper, so low Zelena almost misses it.

_Take me home._

She replies that she ignores where her home is, that she won't ask for its location, because she knows she can't tell her, but she wants to help her in any way possible.

For a moment, the woman lies still in her arms, her breathing uneven and erratic, face scrunched in pain, body contracting and then relaxing in her arms when she sighs deeply.

"Huntsman. Wolf. Red..." She lets the last word out in a breath, "eye."

Before she has time to answer, Zelena feels the weight in her arms growing heavier, the head falling to the side, eyes closed. For a second, Zelena's breath stays stuck in her throat, but she notices the slight, barely present rise of her chest proving that she's still alive. So she ties her up correctly in case someone happens to enter the cell while she's gone, and murmurs. "I'll find him. I promise you, I'll find him, and you'll go back home. Just hold on!"

xxx

A few hours later

She looks into her mirror again.

She found him. She found the huntsman. She doesn't know why, but she's certain that the person the prisoner told her about is him.

She looks at the man's stubble, the curly light brown hair, the mysterious dark eyes. And then, to confirm what she's already sure of, the image changes into the one of an animal with a white fur. A wolf. A wolf with an eye she can't forget.

A red eye.

xxx

A day later

"I found him!" Zelena exclaims, opening the cell in one swift movement, smiling at the blonde woman whose hands are still tied up and holding her to the ceiling. "I found him," she repeats when she receives no answer. "I can send you back home!"

The silence answering Zelena makes her freeze on the spot, dread invading her, her movements careful when she takes a step forward, and then another one.

"Hey?" She calls slowly, approaching the woman, fingers hovering forward before finally resting to the side of her face, tilting her face up. "Didn't you hear me? I have a way to send you back home." Zelena declares with as much cheerfulness as she can muster, which is, let's be honest, not a lot right now.

She's startled when the blonde woman opens her eyes slowly, barely, eyelids sticking with dust, sweat and blood. Zelena bends forward so they can lock eyes, but what she sees send a jolt of realization in her. Where there were two blue orbs the previous day, there is only gray now, staring helplessly ahead, unmoving.

Zelena unties her wrists, lies her down on the floor, using her own sleeve to wipe her face from some of the dust and blood. Realization of what is happening dawning upon her, she whispers honestly, her voice not once faltering. "I'm sorry I acted so late. But I promise you, you will be reunited with your family very soon."

She can't be certain, but Zelena feels the body in her arms react to her words, sees the woman's lips tipping up slightly in what she thinks is supposed to be a smile.

The woman takes a deep breath, her last one, but Zelena is almost certain that there is relief in the last words she pronounces. "Thank you."

xxx

A week later

_Do something!_

She turns on her side, gripping the sheets tightly with her closed hands.

_Fight!_

_Do not react when it's too late._

Her eyes are shut tight, attempting to remove the images from her mind.

_You have magic._

_You could help us win this war._

Her hands fall flat against her ears, pressing as hard as she can, because she can't, she can't listen to this over and over again. Not anymore. It's too much.

_She's my mother._

_She's a coldblooded murderer._

She remembers the blonde woman's – _Amelia-_  lifeless body in her arms, can still feel her weight when she sagged against her, when she couldn't fight anymore. When she  _died_.

_She's a coldblooded murderer._

_She's my mother._

_Do you really want to become one?_

_She's my mother._

_Too late._

_You could make a difference, Zelena._

She can't help but let a desperate scream to slip past her lips before she rolls on her back, eyes snapping open and staring at the ceiling. She's dripped with sweat, and can feel tears gathering in her eyes.

_Thank you._

_You could make a difference, Zelena._

_Home._

_Take me home._

She sits straight in her bed, takes her head between her hands, choking on a sob. She starts crying, the same words running in circle in her mind, images of scenes she has witnessed and others that she imagines appearing in front of her.

People.

Dead people.

Slaughtered.

Murdered.

Tortured.

Executed.

A monastery.

A village.

A young blonde woman.

A little girl.

An unborn child.

She gets up from her bed briskly, walks to the window, hugging herself.

What is she going to do?

xxx

2 weeks later

She's been spying on the huntsman for a couple of weeks. She uses a mirror, watches him from time to time. His words are still fresh in her mind, and she can feel something change in her, emerging.

She doesn't know what this is, but for certain, it's new, something she never felt before. She watches him as he walks through the woods, his wolf by his side. She observes him while he hunts. He's focused, pulls on the string, and releases his arrow with a precision that surprises her every time.

He appears to be living in a farm with two women and two teenagers. One boy and one girl. A strange situation, for sure. But he seems distant, doesn't stay confined between walls when the night comes. But he always comes back. Everyday.

She watches as the young girl with dark hair and pale skin turns her head when she hears him arrive, and one of the women comes to greet him, grabbing the turkey he just killed with a smile.

" _You found her_!"

Zelena swirls around, the image on her mirror fading. Cora walks towards her, still staring at the mirror.

"Where is she?"

Zelena glances between her mother and her vanity. "Who?"

"Snow White." Cora answers, meeting her eyes at last.

"Snow White? That girl was Snow White?" The young woman asks with incredulity, but also dawning realization.

"Oh yes! Where is she? How did you find her?"

"I..."

Cora's eyes switch into suspicious ones when she speaks the next words "Does this have something to do with the disappearance of that woman from my dungeons, weeks ago?" To her daughter's silence, she resumes. "I was afraid you might be behind this, and your behavior right now is proof that I was right. Why, Zelena? Why did you release her?"

"She was innocent, mother!" Zelena attempts slowly, staring at her folded hands on her lap. "What you did to her-"

"She deserved it!" Cora interrupts her. "She's helping your sister, she's a traitor."

"Was."

"I beg your pardon?"

Zelena raises glassy but hard eyes at her mother. " _Was_. She's dead, mother. She died in my arms. Giving her body back to her family was the least I could do."

"You're so sweet, my dear Zelena," Cora says slowly, one finger brushing her daughter's jawline, before hardening her tone. "But it won't do you any good. Now, tell me where Snow White is hiding."

Zelena takes a deep breath, fists her hands, bracing herself for what will come next.

Because she knows it won't be good.

"No, mother."

"No?"

"No. I won't tell you anything."

"Zelena, don't be stupid. You know I can find the location with a tracking spell. It's simply faster if you just tell me."

In front of Zelena's lack of answer and daring eyes, Cora shakes her head. "This is so bad, Zelena. I had such high hopes for you."

Before she even has time to take another breath, Zelena finds herself transported into another room. When she looks around, she's facing dirty walls and bars to the only small window, a large thick wooden door facing her. Her wrists are chained to a wall, and when she tries to escape the grip tightens on her, digging into her skin.

She feels panic invade her, tries to use her powers but fails. She can't get her emotions under control, and her magic is out of reach when she loses control.

But lives of innocent are at stake. She needs to warn them. She has to tell them that Cora is coming.

So she takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes, and focuses. She has to free herself from these chains, and go help them.

* * *

_Present_

" _I had a lot of questions, but I preferred to let her speak," Regina explains. "I let her explain how my fate had been between the hands of a merciless sorcerer, what should have happened to me. Her word was enough. I knew my mother, and remembering my encounter with Guy de Gisborne, I was certain Zelena didn't lie about the other path my life could have taken._

_Starting from that moment, I didn't doubt her intentions anymore. Well, she was in the camp, had her magic, but she didn't attempt to do anything. She apologized for being the reason why our mother discovered the farm and Snow White. She apologized for taking so much time to realize who was hiding behind Cora's mask. She apologized for Amelia, and Graham, Rowan, and everyone else._

_But I forgave her. Looking her square in the eyes, I knew she was sincere. I knew that in the middle of this war, as crazy as it was, I had won a sister."_


	24. The most resilient heart : Chapter 16

_Present_

_The sun is starting to_ _get_ _low in the sky, its warmth decreasing, so Regina grabs her cloak spread on the floor next to her, and wraps it around her shoulders._

" _We slowly accommodated to the camp's new inhabitants. Snow, and especially David, were very enthusiastic. As Robin and I expected, and probably Ruth too, the young man immediately offered his help for whatever task needed to be done, and spent the rest of his day on the training field. He asked for Robin a lot, and I know they were enjoying this time together, like before. It warmed my heart to watch them, as if old times were back._

_Snow? I found that this growing young woman had more in her than I expected. I briefly saw the change when I spent a couple of days at the farm, but I wasn't in a state allowing me to really pay attention to it then. At the camp, it was different. My mind wasn't blinded by grief anymore, and I was opened to the possibility of love again. I watched Snow carefully. She was never relinquishing to help, having accommodated to our way of life faster than I thought she would. Ruth and Johanna were raising her, educating her, but I could see she wanted to spend time with me. I had Connor, and Matthew, and my own work, taking care of both Little John's and my tents, of my husband, but I still found time for her. After all, she needed all the affection I could give and denied her for so long..."_

* * *

Less than 6 months earlier

A week after the encounter with Cora

She waves her hand affectionately in the boy's hair, smiles widely when he looks up at her, can't help the back of her fingers from brushing his cheek gently.

"I almost got it!" Matthew exclaims, grinning.

Regina chuckles at his enthusiasm. His arrow is buried just a few inches from the center point of the target, his best shot until now. And what she loves in his reaction, is the fact that he finally sees the glass half full and not half empty. He's becoming really good with a bow. It's not perfect, not yet, but his shots are mostly hitting the centered part of the target, and his confidence is growing fast.

"That you did! I'm proud of you." His eyes light up at the compliment -the one she never managed to get from her mother, but she swore she'd tell her own children as often as possible, and she feels warmth and tenderness spread throughout her as she does. Her affection and love for this kid has grown bigger with each passing day. They said they would go slow to learn to be more than just a teacher and a student, but this connection between them, the fact that she's known him for almost a year now and ignored her love for him for so long, is speeding up everything. So she doesn't suppress the urge to kiss his temple, and pulls him to her with one arm, squeezing. "Maybe we should stop on that victory for today? It's been an hour, and you'll have school in a short time."

"Okay." He pulls away to go get his arrows from the target, shoves them into a quiver hanging on a tree, and faces her again. "Will you help me read tonight?"

"Of course! We'll take some time after supper." She cups his chin gently, still smiling at him. "Now go! You don't want to be late, do you?"

She watches him leave with a heart swelling with love and care. She got attached to the boy as if he was her own flesh and blood. She's not the only one. Robin has too. The two have become very close, sharing secrets she's slightly jealous of, because it's only between them, and she doesn't know what it is about.

And Henry... Her father knew Matthew through the classes he's teaching the children, and the moment she and Robin told him about their decision to take him as their own, to raise him, despite the risks hanging upon their heads, he had approved their choice eagerly.

Matthew having trouble reading -he never went to school before the camp, they take turns making him read a few pages of a story book they bought every night. He's struggling, but trying really hard. With time and patience, support and encouragement, his skills are improving a little more every day. It's far from fluent, even after several months of classes, but considering where the kid is coming from, and the fact that he didn't really have any help until now, it's not that bad.

"Regina?"

She jumps and turns around, discovering Snow White, almost hidden by a tree, observing her.

"Hey, Snow. What are you doing here?" She walks to the girl with a smile, pats her arm gently.

"I was watching you and Matthew."

Her gaze is hovering over the targets, full of thoughts, her voice a bit absent.

"Snow?" Regina calls, getting the girl's attention. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

The princess twists her fingers nervously, nodding. "I was wondering if I could learn to use a weapon. David knows how to sword fight, Matthew is leaning archery, the other kids here are all training with something. I'd like to learn too, if it's possible."

Giving her a reassuring smile, Regina squeezes her shoulder. "Of course. Let me show you everything we have here."

She walks with her along the different training fields. Snow having already watched Matthew with archery and David with a sword, Regina doesn't linger on them. She shows the girl the quarterstaff, Little John's favorite weapon, that only he masters, and with which she's comfortable but not as much as she is with her bow. They observe Tuck and Eric manipulating and throwing daggers and knifes, and Arthur and Alan in the middle of a body fight. Regina comments on everything. She explains how it works, what her friends are doing, why, gives as many details as possible to help Snow White decide what she wants to learn.

Even though she already has an idea of what her choice will be.

"Can I try archery?" The princess questions sheepishly, but her eyes are shining with hope and excitement.

"Yes," Regina answers, adding, because she has a feeling that's what Snow is expecting and wishing for. " _I_  will teach you archery."

xxx

Five days later

She just left Snow White with Johanna, and is walking with Ruth in the camp. The two women found their complicity back in an instant, and time together, though rare given all the things Regina has to do everyday, is always fully appreciated.

Regina is holding Ruth's arm, sharing her thoughts about the latest events of her life, how taking care of Matthew and Connor is a real blessing. She loves those kids so much she'd do anything for them.

"I'm happy to see you finally opened up to the idea of being a mother again, Regina." Ruth comments. "I was afraid, after what happened to you, that you would banish the thought for good."

"I did, for a while," Regina admits. "I could've let Matthew in months ago if I had listened to my true feelings. As for Connor... I might be acting as his mother, but I am not. I don't want him to forget the amazing person Amelia was. I'll do everything in my power so he always remembers how deeply she loved him."

"That's the smartest thing to do."

Regina smiles, but before she can answer her gaze is caught by something to her right. She turns her head, and watches a powerless Zelena trying to pull some water out of the well, clearly unsuccessful, the rope staying stuck in the pulley. Looking around, she can only observe the defiant and avoiding looks of her friends, and she shakes her head, pulling back from Ruth and taking quick steps towards her sister.

She startles her when she reaches for the rope. "Let me help!" She gives her a smile, to which Zelena answers with a nod. They pull on the rope together, and adding Regina's strength and experience of the mechanism, it takes only a few seconds for the wooden bucket of water to make its appearance out of the well. Regina grabs it with an expert hand, not releasing the rope still tucked in her other one, and places it on the rock circling the well.

"There you go!"

"Thank you," Zelena says shyly, reaching for the gourd her sister gave her when she arrived, and filling it quickly. "I always used magic before, even back in Oz."

"So you've always had it?" Regina questions, feeling Ruth stop by her side, but not looking away from her sister.

"For as long as I can remember." Zelena drinks a few gulps. "I'm trying not to use it here, though. I know it doesn't make people comfortable."

Her sister lifts a hand to rest upon her arm, squeezing gently.

"Thank you for respecting us enough for that. It means a lot to me that you're trying so hard."

Zelena nods again, looks at Regina from underneath her lashes, confessing "I could use your help with something else, if you don't mind."

"Tell me!"

Zelena waves her hand towards her dress, explaining. "This is the last clean clothing I have. All the others you gave me are too dirty to be put on. I have to wash them, but I'll need more than just the river's water to do it, especially without magic."

Regina ducks her head to the side, gives a soft smile to Ruth, before looking back at her sister.

"Come with me! I'll wash my clothes at the same time."

She steps out of the camp under the wary and worried looks of her friends, most of them staring at Zelena dubiously, but ignores them. She noticed the way all the women and most Merry Men are acting, avoiding the red-haired woman. She doesn't like it, but knows a speech will not do any good to anyone. They've lost Amelia, Rowan, and so many of their friends throughout the kingdoms because it took Zelena months to open her eyes. Even Robin, although he's trying, doesn't really manage to relax next to her. And with her arriving and settling in the camp, despite her attempts at trying to make things right, her efforts to help and contain her powers, the defiance and fear haven't totally faded among the Merry Men and their families, rendering the atmosphere often uncomfortable, forcing Regina to give them a hard look to soften their behaviors or make them look away.

Ruth, Johanna and Henry do succeed in being kind to her, though. Regina's father has seen Cora's manipulation on a lost girl craving for a mother's love, and Ruth and Johanna are wise, they witnessed the young woman defending them, trying to save a man's life. Snow White and David are not spending much time with her, are too busy being with the other children, but they're acting nicely to her. So is Matthew. Understanding the connection between Regina and Zelena, he realized she was also part of his new family. He tried -awkwardly, he's only a shy twelve year old boy after all- to start a relationship with her. And if Zelena had been surprised at first, she'd agreed with a warm smile.

Regina guides her sister through the forest, talking to her animately, asking questions, answering some. It still feels awkward and slightly odd, but they're both trying, both wanting to create a relationship out of all the misunderstanding and pain they've experienced.

The two women kneel side by side at the edge of the river, and Regina hands her sister one of the brushes she took with her, along with a soapy mixture to rub on the fabric.

"How do you adjust to the life with us?" Regina asks, scrubbing a stain on one of her pants.

"It reminds me of my life in Oz," Zelena shrugs, misses the way her sister looks pained.

"The one you ran away from?"

Realizing Regina's line of thoughts, Zelena looks up at her, shaking her head. "No, that's not what I meant! I mean... Maybe a bit." She sighs, and Regina takes her hand, assures her that she can talk to her, she won't take it the wrong way. So she takes a deep breath. "I don't mind the condition we're living in, it's fairly better than the place where I grew up. It's not a palace, but there's still space, and we have food on the table every day. It's just... Back in Oz, my father always kept me hidden from everyone, because of my magic. He looked at me like a monster. Here, I do have some people who are kind to me. You, for a start," she smiles at Regina, who smiles back, squeezes her arm. "Your father, Ruth, some of the men who saw me stand against our mother, your boy." Zelena chuckles "That one really made an impression on me!"

"Yeah," Regina agrees. "Matthew is easy to get attached to."

Zelena nods before growing serious again. "But beside this small group, the others... They're looking at me the same way my father did. With hatred. They refuse to help me when I need it, like earlier at the well. It's just... I understand why, I do, really, but... I'm trying, and I feel like all they see is a witch that should be burned on a pyre."

Regina stills her sister's hands from rubbing the fabric of her dress, turns to face her, hesitant.

"I'm sorry, Zelena. It's hard for them. We lost a few of our own in this war, a lot of friends across the kingdoms, and they haven't all seen what you did for us, the blows you took when you stood between us and our mother, how you saved us and then tried to save Robin. They haven't heard your story, they don't know the life you've had, how  _she_  can be with her own children."

"I know. I wish I could undo everything that mother did. I see the pain she caused everywhere I look. Especially..." Zelena frowns, looks down, stopping mid-sentence, so Regina searches for her absent gaze.

"Especially?"

Her sister's head snap back to her, as if pulled out of her thoughts. "Among all the people at the camp, there is one man that I noticed was avoiding me more than the others. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a feeling about him, like there's something special, a particular reason why he's acting this way."

"Who?"

"I don't know his name. But he has curly brown hair, a large belly, and I think he might be the father of this little boy you're often taking care of. The one with blonde hair and blue eyes."

Sadness washes over Regina's features, and she looks away for a second, swallowing down a lump, blinking back tears. This is still so fresh in her mind...

"Did I say something wrong?" Zelena questions warily.

"No." the younger woman admits, meeting her sister's gaze again. "It's Little John. He's... He was," she corrects, "Amelia's husband. The woman whose body you brought us back. She was Connor's mother." Realization dawns upon her sister's face, her eyes growing wide and understanding. "I'm helping him taking care of his son, now that Amelia is..." She trails off, shakes her head, sighs. "It's going to take him more time than the others. He lost a lot, more than I can tell you. He respects the fact that you're my sister and that I want to get to know you, but I can also understand his reluctance to be or have Connor near you."

"Now it makes more sense," Zelena breathes. "I would probably react the same way if I were in his place."

Regina ducks her head to the side, resuming washing her clothes in silence, until Zelena speaks again.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

She lifts her head to look at her sister again, nodding. "Go ahead!"

"How do you do it? Being nice to me I mean. Trying to know me. From what I understand , Amelia was precious to you. You could be reacting the same way as your friend is."

"You're right." Regina agrees. "Amelia was very dear to me. That's why I'm taking care of Connor and helping Little John as much as I can. I won't lie, Zelena. Seeing you reminds me of who we've lost, of my baby," she confesses, unable to suppress the trembling of her voice, "and the anger hasn't totally faded. But I saw you stand up and defend us against our mother. I saw you help us when you could've run away or turned against us. Without you, all those who were there that day would be dead, including my husband. I remember your story, what you went through. I also know what you saved me from when you stopped our mother from killing Robin all those months ago. I'm trying to focus on that, instead of my anger."

"Well, you're definitely wiser than I am. I'm not sure I'd have that strength."

"It's not easy everyday," Regina admits. "But I'm willing to give people a second chance when they're trying to earn it. From what I've seen, that's what you've been doing for the last weeks."

"Yes. Thank you."

After a small smile, both women fall into silence, focusing on their tasks, making small talk about what they're doing. It's not a heavy atmosphere, not burdened with the last subject of conversation. They let it go, and just focus on something else, on something less painful.

They're gathering all the washed clothes, ready to head back, when Regina suddenly stiffens, hand instinctively reaching for her belt where she always keeps a small dagger, senses acute as she stays still, waiting, her sister staring at her in question, but not daring to move either.

Regina takes a deep breath, and gets up in one swift movement, turning around and readying her weapon, stopping herself at the last second.

"Next time you do something like that, I won't stop myself from throwing this dagger at you!" She scolds, glaring at Alan and Eric, who are looking at her with amused eyes, although they took a step back when she raised the hand holding the blade.

"We were just testing your reflexes." Eric muses, winking, but she just lifts an eyebrow at him, features hardening when she notices Matthew with them.

"It's not funny! Especially when my boy is under your watch," she holds her hand to motion for the kid to join her, hugs him with one arm as she presses a kiss to the top of his head. "I could've hurt him, or one of you."

Alan takes a step forward, a hand reaching for her arm, squeezing softly.

"I'm sorry. We were checking the surroundings and heard you two talk. Wanted to know if you needed help to bring all of this back to the camp," he nods towards the pile of clothing resting on a rock by the river, smiling when he meets Zelena's eyes.

Regina sighs, looks back at her sister to find her answering her friend's smile.

"What do you think?" She asks, getting her attention.

Zelena opens her eyes wide, surprised to be asked her opinion, but her stunned look turns into a smirk when she answers, "I don't see why not! They offered after all."

Alan willingly meets Zelena, taking the basket full of clothes from her, as Regina hands hers to Eric. She keeps Matthew pressed against her side, smiling when Zelena weaves her hand in his hair affectionately, walking by their side when they start heading back.

Maybe things will get better for her sister sooner than she thinks. But for now, she really is convinced that she made the right choice by letting Zelena into her life.

* * *

_Present_

" _The days were very long, very busy. I had a thousand things to do, and so many people to take care of. In_ _a_ _matter of a few weeks, it went from just Robin and I to us and Connor, Matthew, Snow, David. I had to hide my pregnancy to my husband, all the small symptoms that could have given it away. I tried to spend time with my father, my sister, Ruth, my friends, especially Little John. The Merry Men kept reuniting, trying to find a new target for a theft, a way to get to my mother's heart. But Cora and Georges' followers were very cautious now, and we didn't want to risk being caught. So we tried to provide enough for everyone with what we had. There were some robberies here and there that allowed us to keep helping the families in need, but money wasn't flowing as much as before, and outside the camp, the situation for the villagers wasn't good._

_Taxes had been increased, the hunt for Robin and I more fervent than ever, Snow and Zelena's faces joined ours on the warrants. Families were arrested randomly now, thrown in jail or executed without any reason. No one was safe anymore. We tried to help as much as we could, attempting to protect them against the soldiers, but not knowing who would be arrested and when made things difficult._

_There were some people we were close from. For me, it was mostly Ruth and David, and they were safe with us. But the others... They met more people than I had, created more connections. Each death touched us. But sometimes, some were particularly hard to swallow."_

* * *

A week later

She's brushing her hair, carding her fingers through the ebony locks, the silky texture sliding against her skin.

She's tired. Exhausted. She spent the day alternating between teaching classes with Matthew and Snow White, training with her friends, cleaning Little John's and her tents, and attempting to get Connor to finish his dinner and go to bed without an argument. The little boy is starting to change, to test her and his father. He's as sweet and cute as he's always been, but 'no' has become his favorite word, and he has a tendency to refuse the moment she has to leave him to tend to another obligation or spend time with someone else.

She knows she's not staying with him as much as she was before, but given the fact that most of her day is spent on the training field, she can't keep him with her. Little John understands, doesn't blame her, if so even tries to calm his son's calls for her. But it weights on her heart. She misses Connor even if she sees him everyday.

A hand falls over her stomach, rubbing absentmindedly, and she closes her eyes slowly. Robin hasn't noticed anything yet, but at the same time her body hasn't changed so much, the nausea has faded, and her intense training and constant occupations can be blamed for her growing tiredness. However, she's seized with anguish each time she feels his hands wander on her curves, her breath getting stuck in her throat, but the moments of intimacy are becoming so rare that the urge and need often get the best of them, and it doesn't take them long afterwards to fall into a deep slumber.

The tent opens, revealing her husband. Regina smiles at him, asks him what took him so long, but she notices immediately that something is wrong. Robin's face is wearing the sadness and concern of someone who just learned bad news, and she watches him sit on the bed with a sigh, his back on her, his head falling into his hands. She gets up from her seat, climbs on the bed and settles behind him, her hands reaching for his shoulders, squeezing slightly.

"What is it?" She questions softly, feeling him lean into her touch. She wraps her arms around his neck in a loose hold, pressing her front to his back, dropping a kiss in the crook of his neck, nuzzling his cheek.

One of his hands settles on her forearm, thumb rubbing absently.

"I don't want to upset you."

She tightens her grip on him, pressing another kiss to his cheek, murmuring against his temple "Tell me, Robin! Something is clearly troubling you." She runs her fingers through his hair "You will get me upset if you hold back from me."

He lets out a deep breath.

"Colin just told me that Marian's father is dead."

She frowns, tenses against his back, but doesn't pull back, doesn't speak nor asks questions. She knows he will answer them in time. She knows this is not about her, and Robin needs her to listen.

"I know what you think of the Fitzwalters, but apparently he was arrested for treason. They executed him this afternoon."

"Why did they suspect him? His daughter is breathing my mother's words like oxygen."

"Rumors say he started to change months ago, realized the misery around him, the Queen and King's actions and their consequences. I think maybe what you revealed when you met Marian last time opened his eyes." He falls silent again, before saying, "they threw him in jail when he attempted to defend a peasant who had been arrested because he couldn't pay his due. He stood up for the man and his family, tried to stop the soldiers from turning their house upside-down. Apparently he even offered to pay their debts, but the tax collector saw it as corruption. So he ended up in Georges' dungeons."

"Didn't Marian try to defend him? He was her father after all."

"From what Colin heard, she pleaded his case to Georges and to your mother, but apparently Robert accused Cora of not being legitimate to the throne. He refused to bow in front of her, claiming he didn't want to serve someone able to disregard life the way she was, someone who could willingly hurt his own children." Regina lets out a heavy sigh at the last sentence, sharing it with Robin, both knowing what the man referred to. "He accused Georges of tyranny and power abuse. He knew it'd be considered treason. They had him hanged the next day."

There's another silence, one full of realization. This is an unexpected turn of events. The proof that people are starting to understand the unfairness of the situation, that they're gaining followers even in higher ranks. One man doesn't make an army, especially when he's dead, but despite the tragedy of a lost life, this is a small victory. It means there's still hope to win this fight.

"He was a good man." She hears Robin speak again. "He's always been kind to me. Marian may have taken the wrong path, but all he ever did was to love and support his daughter, until he realized the truth. No matter what we think of her, he certainly didn't deserve such a fate."

Regina closes her eyes, her lips against his temple.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I really am."

He nods, his eyelids falling shut too when he abandons himself into his wife's arms.

"There's one more thing."

She doesn't pull away, whispers against his skin, already dreading the answer. "What?"

"The family he tried to defend," Robin says shakily. "To make Robert understand what his actions led to, and to dissuade anyone else who could have felt in a heroic mood, they arrested the whole family he stood up for. The husband and his wife, along with their three young children. I knew them, brought them money and gifts for the kids more than once. But lately, with the..."

He stops, swallows hard, fingers gripping his wife's arm, guilt overwhelming him. If he had managed to give them enough money to pay their taxes, none of this would've happened.

"You're doing everything you can, Robin. We are keeping so many of them safe here already, and there's more joining us every week. It's not your fault," Regina assures softly.

"Wait, you don't know... You don't know what happened to them," Robin says, his wife falling silent behind him. He takes a deep shaky breath, one that tells Regina what's coming next. "They -Cora and Georges," he clarifies, "they burned them all on a pyre in front of Robert and the whole village, before executing him. They  _burned_  them, Regina! They burned them  _alive_!" He swallows down a sob. "The older children was  _eight_. His name was Evan."

Regina stills against his back, holding her breath as she tries to digest the news, to realize the atrocity of the ruler's actions. They need to put an end to it, and sooner rather than later. Their cruelty is becoming worse every day, knowing no limits. Georges has always been known to be hard on his people, but it seems his alliance with Cora is only increasing the level of his madness.

She squeezes her eyes shut, pressing her nose and her lips to her husband's cheek and temple, breathes as slowly as she can to push away the horrific images implanted in her mind. She forces herself not to tremble, because Robin is already shaken enough, and needs her to be the strong one tonight.

So she holds him, carding her fingers through his hair, pressing kisses to his cheek, supporting his body when she feels the exhaustion taking over him.

"Let me take care of you," she murmurs against his skin, feels him barely nod and quietly hum in acceptance.

Her arms leave his neck and start to pull on his shirt, slowly helping him out of it, gently. She lies him down on the bed, tells him to settle on his stomach. She removes his boots and trouser, lets him in his undergarment only, before straddling his thighs.

She hears his breath hitch and his shoulders tense when her palms come flat against his shoulder blades, but he relaxes almost immediately under her touch. She massages the sore muscles of his shoulders, of his back, of his neck, kneads the knots she finds, presses her fingers along his spine, knuckles digging into his skin, stopping just above the curve of his ass.

She undoes his anguish, his pain, his concern, little by little. Even when the muscles and the skin are soft and tender beneath her hands, she doesn't stop, letting the tip of her fingers slide against his bare back, leaning forward and peppering kisses along his jaw, his neck, his spine, earning shivers, soft moans and sighs in answer. When he's on the verge of sleep, she slowly pulls back, sitting on her side of the bed, blowing off the candle lighting up the inside of the tent, slipping under the covers and pulling them over Robin's body. She lies on her back, and draws him to her when his hand clumsily gropes her waist. He rests his head on her chest, her fingers scraping at his scalp, lulling him to sleep. When she falls asleep, it's to the regular sound of his breathing against her skin.

xxx

Three days later

She walks to the practice field, the boy's hand safely tucked in hers. She gives him a smile to which he answers equally, and finally stops when they're at the edge of the sword practice area. Matthew leans against her, Regina's arm instinctively coming to wrap around his shoulders while they watch Robin and David in the middle of their duel. She can see the way her husband attacks the young man careful enough not to hurt him, but hard enough to make him work, to give him some strength to fight against, how he finds the opening in his every gesture, forcing David to focus at any time, not giving him a moment of rest.

It's without surprise that she notices how good of an opponent David is, how he blocks every attack even if the timing is sometimes short, gives some good blows that Robin has to avoid quickly, almost disarming him once. His technique is not perfect, but it's excellent for a boy his age whose practice has been erratic over the last year. He clearly has a gift for sword fighting.

Regina weaves her fingers in Matthew's hair, instinctively bringing his head closer to her chest in an affectionate and protective way.

The fight ends on Robin pointing the tip of his sword to David's chest, the younger man dropping his weapon in acceptance.

"It was a good fight, David!" Robin compliments, patting his shoulder, then wiping some sweat away from his own forehead. "Remember not to look at what you're doing. As much as possible, try to look your adversary in the eyes. By doing so, he's unsettled by you and won't be able to know where you next blow is going."

"Got it! Thank you for the fight."

"Of course. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah!"

Regina starts to walk to them then, bringing Matthew with her, smiling at the two men and catching their attention. She presses a quick kiss to Robin's mouth, muttering how in a dire need of a bath he is when she tastes the salty sweat of his skin sticking to her lips. She lets him give a hug to Matthew as she greets and compliments David on his progress.

"Are you two here to practice?" Robin questions, looking down at the younger boy next to him, then to his wife, noticing the bows slung over their shoulders.

"Not exactly," Regina answers with a smile, winking at Matthew.

"Regina is taking me to the woods. She said I'm gonna try to bring something for dinner!" Matthew explains excitedly, grinning when he looks at the woman who lifts a hand to brush his cheek kindly.

"That sounds like a nice plan to me," Robin says, nodding to his wife.

"I'm sure you'll be great," David encourages. "I saw you while you were training and you're quite good with a bow."

"Thank you," Matthew blushes, holding onto his weapon tightly.

In front of his lack of comment about his inability to accomplish something, Regina raises a brow, chuckling as she runs her hand through his hair again. "Wow! No self-depreciative reaction! That's nice!"

She takes two quivers, one full of arrows made for children, one for adults, the first ones being smaller and thinner than the second ones, making them lighter and easier to fire, but just as effective if handled properly. She hands them to Matthew, explaining to Robin "We came here to take these, and let you know where we'll be for the next few hours," she leans forward to kiss him again, "so you won't worry."

Robin catches her chin before she pulls back completely, keeping her close. "I'm always worried about you two, my love." And then, before she can argue or even roll her eyes at him, even though they're both aware she feels the same way towards him. "Be safe! Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger."

"We're going to hunt, Robin! We'll be in the woods, won't approach any road, we shouldn't even meet another human living soul beside maybe people from the camp."

He has totally released her when he speaks the next words "But I know  _you_ , Regina." he points, before adding on a lighter tone. "Have fun!"

xxx

The boy is focused, holding his breath, body tensed, pulling on the string tightly, but his hand is shaking. Regina doesn't say anything, lets him do it on his own, calm down without her. But he's too stressed, releases the arrow too soon, misses his target from several inches, making the turkey run off, out of sight.

He drops his arm with a sigh, shoulders sagging, and Regina intervenes immediately, her hand resting on his shoulder tenderly.

"It's okay. It was your first shot."

"I know. I couldn't stop my hand from trembling."

"Because you're putting too much pressure on yourself." Regina cups his chin gently, catching his gaze as she smiles down at him. "Just like before." Leaning forward to kiss his forehead, she squeezes his chin lightly, getting up from her spot behind a bush. "Come on! Let's find another target!"

They walk for a while, Regina carefully listening to Matthew's animated tale of everything he learned at school, and how Henry -with whom he's spending more and more time- has told him stories about his own childhood, memories of huge balls and lines of servants miles long.

She chuckles as she remembers her father used to tell her the same stories when she was a little girl, relishes the fact the old man is getting so involved with Matthew.

But focusing on him doesn't stop her from being careful to her surroundings, and she halts their progress, lends an ear and looks around. Matthew is silent by her side, watching her, then following her gaze to where a wild boar is turning his back on them. Regina stops the boy with a hand when he starts drawing his bow, takes a few more seconds to study the animal.

When she nods, he gets in position without a noise, focusing on his hand, breathing slowly through his nose. The beast slowly turns his head to the side, revealing itself to him, and Matthew holds his breath. The arrow lands in the animal's rear, his grunt echoing around them, but it's not enough. He's limping, attempting to flee, so Regina encourages Matthew to take another arrow, to finish what he started. He misses, so she urges him to follow the beast, not to give up. But Regina doesn't tell him that if he doesn't succeed this time, she will take things in hand. Hunting to feed is one thing. Letting an animal suffer and die because of a missed shot is another.

She watches Matthew carefully, goes with him after the boar, halts him when she notices the animal has stopped his run, and with a firm nod makes the boy understand that it is the right time. Matthew draws his bow, an arrow ready. Before he fires, Regina lands a hand on his shoulder, slightly adjusts his position, before smiling down at him. When he turns to his target again, Matthew's face is full of determination. He takes his time while the wounded animal recovers, unaware of the two people's presence, and aims with precision. When the arrow leaves his bow, it goes straight into the boar's neck, making him fall to the side with a guttural growl, the boy taking a step back with the surprise of the deep sound.

Regina rushes forward, dagger in her hand, checking the boar's state, relieved when she finds it dead. She turns around to look over at Matthew, who is frozen on spot, staring at the dead animal in bewilderment. She moves to her feet, walking over to him, shielding the boar from his view, calling his name until he looks up at her.

"What is it?" she questions softly when she's close enough.

"I did it."

"Yes, Matthew. You did," she smiles, although her frown doesn't totally fade when she realizes he's not answering her smile. "But you don't seem happy about it."

"I am," he answers shyly. "I'm just... I can't... I don't realize it yet, I guess."

Regina chuckles, cupping his cheeks tenderly. "Well you'll have time to realize tonight, when we'll have it for dinner. I'm really proud, Matthew. This shot was the best you ever managed. A boar is not the easiest animal to kill, what you did was really good."

"Why did you let me try if you knew it was that hard?"

"Because I have faith in you, I knew you could do it," she answers with a smirk and a wink, brushing his cheek. "Would you have tried if I had told you the truth?"

"No," Matthew says honestly, shrugging, understanding the message.

"See? Now you know what you're capable of."

He smiles warmly at Regina, grateful, hugging her tightly before pulling back "What did you check before you let me shoot the first time?"

"I wanted to make sure it wasn't a female. It would have let babies orphans, and they would've died without their mother." Resting a hand on his shoulder solemnly, she straightens her spine. "Now! Do you want to help me put it in the bag?" she questions, unfolding a large handmade bag created to wrap hunting preys.

They're about to head back for the camp when they hear it.

A scream.

A young girl's scream.

Regina lifts her head and turns around towards the sound, eyes searching, a hand instinctively coming in front of Matthew to keep him behind her.

There's another voice, an older one. Probably female too, loud and bold, sounding defensive, but not clear enough to understand the words.

It's when a lower and definitely masculine voice answers what appears to be a threat, that Regina stiffens. She pulls Matthew further behind when he attempts to walk forward, her eyes never leaving the area in the forest where she knows the persons are, her attention never faltering.

"Stay here," she says quietly, not looking at the boy but taking a step towards the voices.

"Regina-"

"Stay here!" She orders, looking at him just long enough to make him understand to listen. She waits for his nod, and takes her bow in one hand, an arrow in the other, quiver on her back.

She walks without a noise until she sees them.

There's a woman, wearing round glasses, her slightly brown hair starting to turn white pulled up into a bun. She's holding a little girl against her side, trying to shield her from a group of five men. Thieves, Regina deduces. One of them is pointing a low quality sword at the woman, agitating it under her nose while he asks for her money, he and his companions smiling wickedly when they notice the girl snuggling closer to her... mother? Regina is not sure, she can't see the woman's face, but she's starting to have white hair and the girl can't be more than ten.

When the men start to encircle them, Regina doesn't even think twice. Stepping out of her hiding spot, she draws her bow, arrow ready and pointed at the closest man to the woman and child.

"Leave them alone!" She calls in a strong voice, startling everyone, making them look at her in bewilderment.

"Oh, look at what we have here! A little wild flower who's trying to play hero. Want to join us? We were about to have some fun," one of the men spits, grinning and discovering dark teeth.

"Not interested! I suggest you leave now, before I make you regret your poor behavior."

A full throated laugh runs among the men. "Because you think you can beat us all? How funny!" A man chuckles dryly, before another one's face goes blank, and Regina smirks. He recognized her.

"Guys!" He calls. "It's her!"

"Who?"

"The girl from the warrants. The one the Evil Queen is looking for."

The man holding the sword, seemingly the chief, gives her a greedy look. "Well then... Maybe we could grant Her Majesty with a present. I'm sure she'll be more than grateful."

He takes a step forward, and Regina pulls on the string of her bow, her behavior and voice confident, even if her heart is hammering in her chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warns.

"And why's that? You're alone, outnumbered..." He walks towards her again, and Regina's fingers start to itch, the need to release the arrow urgent as her mind senses the danger, her body straightening, ready to fight. "And I don't think you will get much help from these two." The man waves a hand in the woman and child's direction, and Regina gives them a glance.

She can see the woman's fierce, how she would be ready to put on a fight if necessary, but her reluctance to release the little girl tightly gripping at her waist and dress is getting the best of her. Something Regina can rely to.

"Go!" Regina breathes lowly, but loud enough for them to hear, the woman opening her eyes in astonishment at the request.

The second the word has left her lips, Regina releases her arrow, the tip burying deep into the man's foot as she ducks her bow down. By the time his loud scream fills the air, she's fired a new arrow, hitting another man in the center of the hand he outstretched towards the woman and child with the firm intention to get a hold on them.

But focusing on them has rendered her oblivious of one man, who managed to come to her from the side, and if it wasn't for the older woman's warning she would have received a strong blow directly to the head with the large wooden stick he'd picked up.

She jumps back just in time, uses the arch of her bow to strike him in the face, turning on her heels and hitting him straight into his abdomen with her foot, knocking the air out of him and making him lose his balance, her fist colliding with his cheekbone a second later.

She barely has time to recover that someone grabs her at the shoulder, and she doesn't think, throws her elbow backward with force, feeling it come in contact with the man's ribs. She's barely aware of his painful groan when she swirls around to face him, her knee raising fast and heading between his legs. He crumbles on the ground, hands covering his crotch, when Regina catches the sight of the woman still staring at her in disbelief.

The fight is not over, three men still standing despite their injuries, two walking on her while the other reaches for the two girls, so Regina grabs her dagger and throws it with expertise in the man's direction, hitting the back of his thigh, making sure he won't follow them.

"Take your girl and leave!" she screams again, ducking her head to avoid a fist.

She doesn't see the man standing behind her, is startled as he winds his arms around hers, blocking her against him, while the one she talked to and shot in the foot arrives in front of her, smirking madly.

"What are you going to do now?" He speaks, closing his hand into a tight fist and hitting her in the ribs, her recent injuries coming back to her memory as a wave of pain spreads through her entire body, making her scream and shut her eyes tight.

He gives her another blow, and another, and Regina attempts to free herself but her mind is so overwhelmed with pain that she can't think straight. She tries to take a deep breath, but every time is cut off by another blow.

Panic begins to rise within her, and with it the fear for her child's safety, the urge to protect it almost unbearable. She tries to summon the amount of energy that used to spread into her in moments like this, but her inability to focus long enough has it receding every time she feels it grow.

She takes one blow after another, gritting her teeth, receiving a punch in the face violent enough to make her see stars for a second or two. She has barely opened her eyes again that the man's fist collides with her abdomen once more, and Regina has to suppress a scream in surprise at the renewed series of punches.

Until it stops.

It stops, and Regina is startled by a piercing scream of pain, doesn't realize right away the hold keeping her prisoner decreased as her opponent is as surprised as she is, and she doesn't even try to understand, just gathers her last strengths to throw him over her shoulder, taking a step back as he falls hardly on the ground in front of her, his head knocking on a rock and rendering him unconscious.

When she opens her eyes, she faces a strange scene, one she didn't expect to see one day.

The man who was hitting her is sprawled on the ground, crying and screaming as a large, white wolf is holding his arm firmly between his teeth, growling dangerously and dragging him away from Regina, only releasing him when he must decide he is far enough, but not stopping the threatening show of his blood-tainted snout.

All the still conscious people are startled by a sudden noise, the wolf finally looking up from his prey to watch the old woman hold one of her opponents' sword in front of her, a man lying at her feet after she's hit him in the back hardly with the hilt as he was attacking Regina from behind like his stooge did not long before.

Looking around at the two woman and the impressive animal, the men quickly attempt to get up, their movements erratic as they mostly creep on the floor, eager to take their leave.

As she watches them with wide eyes, Regina feels the exhaustion suddenly overwhelming her, her still ragged breath and sore abdomen exposing themselves to her. She falls on her knees, hands on the ground to support her as she feels the wolf's breath on her forehead. She tries to lift her head to meet his eyes, one dark as coal and the other red as blood, her hand reaching for his neck and stroking despite the trembling of her whole body. She nods slightly to acknowledge his help, and she can swear that she reads the same reaction from him.

The woman's hand is on her shoulder the moment Regina breaks contact with the animal, and she speaks with a deep and severe voice, yet full of concern.

"Are you okay?"

Regina nods, still recovering, swallowing hard and then exhaling shakily, wiping her sweaty forehead with her sleeve before deciding to get up, accepting the woman's arm for support gratefully.

"Was the hell of a fight!" she hears. "I've heard rumors about your abilities but I didn't think it was true."

"Thanks for the help! I didn't see the last one coming and I might not have managed to avoid the blow if you hadn't knocked him out."

"Come on! You would've, I'm sure. It wasn't a fair move to attack you from behind."

"That's how they sometimes win." Regina replies, finally managing to even her breath as the pain is slowly subsiding and her heartbeat is going back to normal. She turns towards the woman, looking around her. "Where is your daughter?"

"Actually she's my granddaughter," the woman corrects. "I put her to safety before coming back to help you." Turning her head to look behind her, she calls "Ruby! You can come out now!"

There's a slight ruffle of leaves, and Regina watches the thin frightened face of the girl emerging from behind a tree, shyly taking a step forward, unsure, staring at the white animal and freezing on spot.

Regina notices, glances between the two, the older woman doing the same, before her hand reaches for the wolf's fur and runs through it slightly.

"He won't hurt you," she assures the girl, startling her.

Ruby looks up at her, then at the wolf again, their eyes locked for another second before her grandmother holds her hand for her and calls. "Come here, Ruby!" She doesn't have to be told twice, and the child is soon running to her grandmother, clutching to her dress.

"Are we safe, Granny?" She questions, worried eyes lifting towards the woman, who runs an affectionate hand in the ebony locks.

"Yes, Ruby. We are." She nods towards Regina "Thanks to this very brave young lady."

"Regina," she introduces herself, holding her hand for the girl, smiling widely, then turning to the grandmother.

"Everyone calls me Granny. And I know who you are! I'm sure even those who live in a cave know your story, and everything you've been doing for us since that bitch took the power." Regina smiles with embarrassment. "No offense!"

"None taken." Waving her hand in circle in front of her, Regina questions, "What were you doing so deep in the woods?"

"Trying to find a new place to live. The Black Knights burned our village three days ago. We had to leave in a hurry to escape them. These," she tilts her head in the direction their attacker fled,"bastards followed us since we left the main road."

"I'm sorry!" Regina exclaims with sympathy, her hand reaching for Granny's arm. "So you've been wandering in the forest since then?"

"Yep! The ground is hard, but it's better than a cell."

"Well, let me help you with that. You can come to our camp. There is a soft bed and a warm meal waiting for you. You can even take a bath and wash your clothes if you want."

"Oh, that's nice of you but I'm not sure-"

"Granny, can we go with Regina?"

Both women look down at the little girl, Regina with softness and Granny with a raised brow.

"Please!" Ruby adds, tugging at her grandmother's dress. "I'm tired! And I'm hungry!"

When Granny looks up at Regina, she finds her smiling in victory. "Looks like you're coming with me then!"

Before leading the way, Regina bends in front of the wolf, looks him in the eyes carefully. He's calm in front of her, and she smiles, strokes the side of his neck for a short time, mouthing a thank you before getting up. As if it were a message, the animal turns his back on them, and disappears into the forest.

"Where is he coming from?" Granny questions. "The way he took your defense was really impressive. I can't recall a wolf doing that."

Regina sighs, looks down. "We had a friend in common. We lost him," she reveals slowly. "I didn't know  _he,_ " she tilts her chin forward, "was still looking after me."

"Well, let me tell you this! You have a damn guardian!"

The three girls walk back towards where Regina comes from, and she stumbles a bit on the way, body still sore, tiredness washing over her. Probably a mix of the fight and her pregnancy, she thinks. She managed to hide it for now, but she's been exhausted more than usual, and it can't only been explained by her increased level of activity at the camp. She's never been one to sit down for hours, that has never changed. But ever since a little before she found out about the baby, a general feeling of weariness has been her every day companion.

"Regina!"

She receives Matthew with a wince and a groan, eyes squeezing shut as he crashes against her, hitting her bruises in the process. She brings a hand to cup the back of his head, her other arm holding him to her, smiling and bending to kiss his forehead when he looks up at her.

"What happened?"

"I helped these two persons to get rid of some men who were bothering them," Regina answers, waving her hand in the woman and the girl's direction. "This is Granny and Ruby." Looking at them then. "And this little guy here is Matthew."

"Nice to meet you!" Matthew exclaims enthusiastically.

"Likewise."

"They're coming with us at the camp," Regina explains, stroking his cheek. "Is everything ready here?"

"Yeah! I pulled the ropes around the bag so we can drag it."

"Perfect!"

Regina swings her bow further on her shoulder, taking one end of the rope and throwing it over her other shoulder, waiting for Matthew to do the same. The boar is at least 70 pounds, there's no way she's dragging it back to the camp on her own.

She senses Granny's eyes on her, knows she's probably not saying anything because Matthew is oblivious of her pain, so she ignores it. Regina struggles with every step, has thick drops of sweat on her forehead, grits her teeth and swallows back whimpers, brow furrowing in pain. She breathes through her nose as silently as she can manage, but at some point it's too much. Crying in pain, she lets go of the rope as she bends forward, one palm on her thigh to support herself, the other on her abdomen, eyes closed tightly, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek as she chokes down a whimper.

Matthew's voice is full of concern when he jumps close to her, and Granny's hand is on her back, rubbing slightly.

"I was wondering how much longer you would keep the act," she says. "You're a damn stubborn woman, you know, Regina?"

Regina lets out a low chuckle, wincing when it triggers the pain, but attempting to lighten up the mood. "My husband tells me that at least twice a day."

"Well, I'm gonna like the man! Give me that rope, you're not touching it until we arrive at your camp."

"Are you okay, Regina?" she hears Matthew questions.

She draws a deep breath out, and then straightens her spine slowly, giving him a smile and a pat on the cheek. "Yeah! I'm fine honey, it's nothing serious. Help Granny carry your catch, please!"

She leads them through the forest, avoiding the many traps the Merry Men settled around the camp -they increased their number since they discovered the warrants for Regina's head, and even more since her last encounter with her mother- and sighs in relief as the knowing trees come into view.

She whistles three times when she notices whoever is standing guard is not opening the door, and she knows it's because of Granny and Ruby's presence. Three whistles is an insurance that everything is fine. The door opens in front of them, and they're met by Arthur and Much, who give Regina a puzzled look at the sight of an older woman carrying a large and heavy bloody bag with Matthew.

"This girl needs to be seen by a healer, if you have one," Granny speaks with authority. "She took down five men, but the bastards managed to give her a few blows."

"No, I'm fine," Regina starts to argue, even though she recognizes the knowing looks on her friends' faces that they give her every time she contradicts someone but knows that she's wrong. "I don't-"

"What the hell did you do?" A voice comes from behind her. She closes her eyes before turning warily, sheepishly looking up at Robin, facing the hardness of his features as he crosses his arms over his chest, clearly displeased. "I told you not to get into a fight."

"They needed help!" She exclaims, nodding towards the girl and her grandmother. "I wasn't going to look away, you know that's not something I can do!"

"Of course not! But if you could walk out of this camp without coming back injured, I'd appreciate it greatly!"

"You're the husband, I guess!" Granny interrupts, getting Robin's attention. "Your wife is a piece of work! She beat the men who attacked me and my granddaughter in the blink of an eye. If you forget the wolf who stepped in when she needed help in the end, that is."

"I wouldn't expect less of her!" he agrees, before turning to his wife. "Wolf?"

"Graham's," she says lowly, Robin nodding in acknowledgement.

He addresses the old woman again then. "My name is Robin."

"The famous Robin Hood I guess."

"The one and only."

"Nice to finally meet you. You can call me Granny." She steps aside to reveal the girl hiding behind her. "And this is Ruby. We've lost our home thanks to the Evil Queen. Regina offered us a shelter here. Hope it still stands. We could use some rest."

"Of course!" He motions for Much to lead them towards the new added tents, before watching Regina, but she's in no mood for an argument, so she cuts him off before he even starts.

"Matthew brought us diner!"

Robin looks down at the boy who is showing his catch to Alan before looking up, and smiles proudly at him, abandoning Regina for a second and hugging him warmly. "Very good! If you want, you can check with Helena if she lets you help her cook it."

"Yeah! I'd like that!"

"Then go ahead! I'll come to see you in a minute."

Matthew helps Alan getting a good hold on the dead animal, and walks away, letting husband and wife face to face.

Regina holds Robin's gaze for as long as she can, but soon the tiredness is too strong, dizziness settling and threatening to take her, the pain getting the best of her, so she relents, casts her gaze down and whispers, "I need to lie down."

Her husband's arm is around her waist immediately, loosening when he feels her stiffen and wince at the touch.

"You're going to stay in bed for a while -longer than a few minutes," he adds with a pointed look. "And you will let Tuck take a look at you."

Regina is so worn out she doesn't even argue, lets Robin lead her to their tent, lies on the bed, not saying a word when he removes her boots and covers her with the sheet, kissing her forehead before stepping out.

She uses that time alone to think, settles comfortably on her back and folds her knees just a little to relieve the pressure on her abdominal muscles. One hand reaches for her stomach, rubbing in circles, wishing that she could feel something, but it's way too early in her pregnancy for that. In her head, she talks to her child, tells him or her that she hopes everything is okay, apologizing for the previous events and the waves of shock it must have felt. She tells it she loves it, deeply, with all her heart, that she will not let it go. She will hold it in her arms, will raise it, will love and take care of it. That's the promise she mentally makes to the life growing inside her.

She's startled by the tent's opening, revealing Tuck wearing a serious mask, even though the kindness of his heart is still present beneath the concern.

"Robin is with Matthew. I told him I preferred to see you alone."

"Okay," Regina answers warily, watching him suspiciously as he sits on the bed next to her, halting her movement with a raised hand when she starts to sit up. "Is something wrong?"

Tuck inhales deeply, takes her hand.

"I understand why you did what you did to save these people, but I think you should be more careful now."

"Why?"

He looks up at her with confident but wary eyes, ducking his head to the side and speaking in a calm and low voice. "You know why."

Regina's heart misses a beat, her breath stuck in her throat. Is it possible that he...?

"What are you talking about?"

"Regina," her friend says, scooting closer, voice lower as if talking of a secret "I know you're with child."

She removes her hand from his immediately, sitting up straight in one movement and wincing as the muscles stir with the effort. Her eyes are wide with anguish, lips slightly parted, the fast hammering of her heart against her ribcage buzzing in her ears.

"I'm not-"

"Don't lie to me," Tuck cuts her gently. "I've seen every woman of this camp experience the symptoms of a pregnancy, Regina. I helped them deliver. I recognize a pregnant woman when I see one." In front of her silence and incredulous look, he explains, "I noticed something was on your mind a while ago. You eat less, especially in the mornings, look at the food with disgust. You're overtired. You're good at hiding it, but I was certain when we came back from our last encounter with your mother. I examined you, remember?" He ducks his head to the side with a gentle smile as Regina's eyes open in realization. She'd been so overwhelmed with everything at the moment she hadn't even thought of that possibility. "And after that, I saw you talk with the Blue Fairy with evident concern. You unconsciously brought a hand to your stomach, while you'd been hit in the ribs. Not exactly the same area," he concedes with a gentle smile.

"Please, tell me Robin doesn't know!" Regina exclaims, gripping his forearm.

"He doesn't," Tuck answers calmly. "At least not that I'm aware of. But why would you want to hide something like this from him? It's a good news!"

It's Regina's turn to look down and sigh, her hand covering her stomach, staring at it with sadness. "Because what he doesn't know can't hurt him."

"You're afraid to lose the baby?"

She looks up at her friend, her lips tipping up slightly in agreement, but she adds, "I'm afraid that my mother learns about this baby and decides to get rid of it again next time we are face to face. I'm afraid to distract Robin from our mission, to have him so worried over me and our child he wouldn't let me do a single thing or wouldn't focus while on the battlefield, putting his life in danger. I'm afraid to have this little one," she glances affectionately at the hand covering her abdomen,"hurt in any way. I'm afraid to die," she confesses in a whispers. "It's a war, and I'm going to fight. Whether it is by my mother's hand or someone else's, there's a risk that I might not survive. I don't want Robin to experience the same thing as Little John did with Amelia. I still remember his expression at the realization of everything he lost. I refuse to have my husband wearing the same face, to have his heart broken the same way."

"Regina," Tuck reaches for her hand again. "Robin will be devastated if something happens to you, pregnant or not."

"I know."

"But I understand your reasons." Her head snaps up to meet his comforting gaze. "If you don't want me to tell him, then I won't. This is your decision, I respect it."

Relief washes over her as she closes her eyes, squeezing her friend's fingers, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, Tuck."

Growing serious, the man helps her down on the mattress, rolling up his sleeves, earning a honest chuckle from Regina as he says with authority. "Now, let me have a look! I need to make sure your little thief is in good shape and his mother is well too."

The examination shows no sign of serious injury, just some bruises that will heal on their own within a few days. The baby is not harmed, and by the time Tuck leaves the tent, Regina is sound asleep, relieved and appeased by the news, by the potion he gave her to deal with the physical pain, and probably also by the fact that now, she doesn't have to keep everything for herself. She has someone to talk to if she feels the need to, someone close, that she trusts beyond anything.

When she wakes up, there's a warmth surrounding her hand, and Regina squeezes slightly in reflex, opening her eyes slowly.

"Hey, sweetheart!" She hears a soft voice speak, and she smiles when she recognizes it.

She turns her head to meet her father whose protecting gaze is washing over her, his other hand lifting to brush her hair away from her face tenderly, weaving in the dark locks.

"Daddy," she murmurs, before clearing her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I have an excuse to spend some time with my little girl?" he replies playfully, smiling.

"Of course not!" Regina chuckles. "How long have you been here?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes? Robin spent a long time with you, but he wanted to go help Matthew with the boar. They finished cooking it not long ago and were about to cut it when I came here."

"I thought this smell was familiar." Regina releases her father's hand, planting her palms on the mattress to push herself in a sitting position, waiting a second as dizziness takes her, Henry steadying her as she closes her eyes, breathing slowly.

"Take a minute."

She nods, swallowing back the bile rising in her mouth, muttering for her father to give her some water, and drinks a few gulps from the hand-crafted wooden cup, exhaling softly as she opens her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just sore." Turning towards him, she removes the covers, swings her legs carefully over the bed, before putting her feet to the floor. "Can you hand me my boots, please?"

Henry executes himself, but he kneels in front of her to slip her shoes on her feet, earning a raised eyebrow from his daughter.

"I can put them on myself, you know!" She says with a hint of annoyance, ignoring the general feeling of tiredness still filling her.

"I'm aware, Regina. But I think I have a right to take care of you, especially after you came back injured from what was supposed to be a simple hunting lesson."

"Please, daddy!" Regina exclaims. "I've had enough lectures between Robin, Tuck and Granny! I got it! I'll be more careful next time."

Henry gets up and holds his hand to help her up when he's done, looking at her right in the eyes. "I know. But you're my only child, Regina. I will never stop worrying about you."

She smiles when he presses a kiss to her cheek, winding an arm around his, catching her cloak as he leads her outside.

* * *

_Present_

_She stretches her legs forward, massaging her calves as she explains. "That night, during dinner, Granny told us a few things we didn't know yet, mostly because the people we'd welcomed to the camp arrived before the event or weren't from the area where it occurred. She'd heard about Marian's father execution, and the ruthless one of the family Robin knew. She confessed that, among the crowd, it didn't create fear, as the King and Queen expected. It created anger, hatred. People were revolted by the murders, and here and there, even though they knew they had little chances to survive, they tried to strike back. To ambush a small group of guards. To turn against the rulers and make them understand they hadn't won._

_It only increased our need to end this insanity. We were training the volunteers who already were in the camp, but they were beginners for most, and we still weren't sure how our small group would managed to overcome both my mother and Georges' armies. But with the knowledge that we had the support of people outside the camp, and that, even if they weren't properly trained, they did some damage anyway, we knew that the war wasn't won yet, but the odds were better."_


	25. The most resilient heart : Chapter 17

_Present_

_Regina looks around, spotting the child running in the clearing at the bottom of the hill where she's sitting. It's almost the end of the day, and they_ _'ve_ _traveled a lot over the last days, still have a long journey ahead of them tomorrow, but the endless energy coming from him will never fail to amaze her._

" _I told you how close from Connor I was, especially after his mother's death. He always ask_ _ed_ _for_ _me, even when Amelia was alive, but when she disappeared it_ _intensified_ _. Except at some point, with everything going on, I didn't have as much time for him as I wished I had. I don't know exactly what_ _was going through_ _his head, Little John didn't either, but one day was particularly hard on him. And of course, the timing is always odd and counteracting our initial plans..."_

* * *

Five months earlier

Robin and Regina are sound asleep, she's sprawled on her belly, he's on his back, their hands linked, when they're suddenly startled, awoken abruptly by loud calls of their names, and someone storms into their tent when they don't answer. They roll over to get a better look at the intruder, eyes still sleepy and blinking against the daylight, suppressing a yawn.

"Regina, Robin, you need to come quickly!"

"What is it?"

"It's Connor." Vanda explains. "He woke up in tears, asking after his mother. Little John tried to calm him, but he hasn't succeeded so far, and he's losing his patience. He's on the verge of breaking down, he won't hold on very long if his son keeps crying like he is."

Before she finishes her speech, Regina and Robin are up, pulling on their boots and throwing their cloaks over their shoulders without bothering to change their night clothes. They follow Vanda to Little John's tent, and thank her before entering it, Connor's shouts and cries already resonating in the calm and silent morning, a rude awakening for the closest inhabitants.

They face a powerless and teary Little John, still attempting to appease his son, and a very agitated young boy, sitting on his bed, in tears, his bed-suit damped from it, his face red from screaming. John looks up at them in despair, shaking his head and sighing deeply, and Regina takes a step forward. She rests a hand on his shoulder, murmurs "Go for a walk, get some fresh air. I'll take it from here."

He nods gratefully, glancing sadly at his son, gets up to follow Robin outside, while Regina crouches next to the bed to be at eye-level with Connor.

"Hey, Connor?"

"Mo... mmy... I want... I... Mo... mmy," he hiccups, clearly lost and in distress, unable to calm down. She takes his hand, and cups his chin with her other, but he pushes at her hands, surprising her and making her frown deeply. She sets her hands on the edge of the bed, but doesn't move from her crouched position, keeps talking to him kindly despite the pang of hurt in her chest at seeing him so shaken.

"I know, sweetheart. I know. But your mommy is not here anymore, remember?"

Connor's nod is followed immediately by a shake of his head. "I want-"

"Sweetheart-" She reaches for his knee, but he moves away and pushes her again.

" _Mommy_!" He screams. "I want-"

Taking a deep breath, Regina sits on the bed, grabs one of his hands and cups his chin gently but firmly enough that he's startled and can't swap at her again, forcing him to look up at her.

"Connor, look at me!" When he finally does, his wide and puffy eyes facing her, she softens her tone. "What happened? Why do you need your mommy?" The cries stop for a second, as he stares at her with a frown, his body still shaken by small sobs every other second. "Are you hurt? Did you have a bad dream?"

This time, he nods frantically at her, burying his head between his shoulders.

"Alright. I know I'm not your mommy, but do you think a hug from me could make the bad dream go away?"

She knows it always has before, only asked to reassure him, but the shrug he gives her is unsettling, because it's the first time he doesn't willingly jump into her arms even before she mentions it.

"Let's try, okay Connor?" This time he nods shyly, but doesn't move, as if hesitant, so she opens her arms for him. "Come here, sweetheart!"

Regina lifts the boy to sit him on her lap when he starts scooting closer, and she holds him close, his knees folded against his chest, his hands gripping her cloak, his head resting under her chin. She rocks him back and forth, one arm wrapped around his body to keep him against her, the other hand weaving in his hair, soothing. She murmurs sweet and kind words to him, sometimes kisses his forehead, and waits. Regina waits for a while, because it takes him a long time to fully stop crying, but at least he's not screaming anymore. She blinks back her own tears, swallows hard despite the lump in her throat, closes her eyes to focus only on the child clutching to her with everything he has.

Even when he's stilled against her, she keeps up the calming movement, the soft words, the caresses, the motherly touch, even if she's not Amelia.

It's not the first time he's been so upset since his mother disappeared, but it's the first time it takes both her  _and_  his father so long to calm him down, the first time he doesn't let her in and fights her instead. She's not certain as to why, has an idea, but now is not the time to question him. She just hopes it's not related to the decreasing amount of time she's been spending with him since Snow and David showed up at the camp and since she fully welcomed Matthew into her life.

When he sniffles for the umpteenth time, she looks around, bends slightly to the side to grab a clean cloth from his bedside table, and helps him blow his nose, before wiping his face with another one. All the time, he refuses to let go of her, refuses to move from her lap, presses himself further into her embrace, obviously looking for physical contact, and she thinks she might be right. Maybe she's the reason why he reacted so violently this morning. Maybe she should have this conversation with him after all.

"Connor?" She questions in a low voice, earning a little tug on her nightgown in acknowledgment of her call. "Does it bother you that I'm not spending as much time with you now as I was?" She looks down to see him frown at her, so she rephrases. "Do you want us to spend more time together? Like before?" At his eager nod, she sighs, kisses his forehead, bringing him against her again, reassuring. "Okay. I promise you that we will."

It's only when Little John comes back that she lets go of the boy, letting him jump in his father's arms, the man hugging him tightly. She gives a wry smile to Robin, before turning her attention to Connor.

"You get dressed with your daddy, Connor. I'll see you for breakfast, okay?"

"No!" He answers immediately, clutching to his father's neck but shaking his head and holding out a hand for her. "With you, Gina!"

She's surprised by the almost authoritative tone she's never heard coming from him, glances between Connor and Little John.

"Connor, Regina needs to get dressed too," John reasons gently. "She and Robin-"

"No!" Connor cuts him. "She sayed she spend more time with me."

Before his father can scold him for his behavior, Regina puts a hand on his forearm, catching the man's attention.

"I did," she admits. "I haven't been there for him a lot lately." Turning to the child, she smiles. "You're right, Connor. I  _said_ I was going to spend time with you today." she can't help but correct the language mistakes. "I'll help you put your clothes on, and then we'll spend the day together. How does that sound?"

"Yaaay!" He yelps, wriggling to be put down, running across the tent to the small dresser where he knows his clothes are.

Regina chuckles, uses that time when he won't hear to explain to the two men standing next to her. "I think he's having trouble dealing with the fact that I'm not as present as I was when it was just us. There's never been a problem with Matthew, but now there's Snow, David, Ruth, my sister. We're planning the next attack, are trying to find a way to get to my mother. I barely have time for him."

"But you're not forgetting him," John reminds.

"I'm not. I won't. But it doesn't matter to him. All he sees is that I'm putting him second."

"You're only trying to be there for everyone, Regina."

"I know, Robin. I do. But Connor isn't even four yet, he doesn't care about all this. If anything, I think maybe he needs me more than them." She looks over at the boy, her voice tainted with sadness and resignation. "I'll spend today with him, and I'll make an effort starting tomorrow, I'll try to arrange my schedule so I have time for him every day. Perhaps it will pass. But I don't want to see him that upset again because of me."

She walks to Robin, kisses him softly. "Go bathe without me. I'll see you for breakfast." When she turns around and goes to meet Connor to help him put on his clothes, she misses the look that passes between the men. She doesn't hear them speak low, nor exchanging a nod as Robin walks out.

xxx

Connor's little scene is forgotten by the time breakfast is served, but Regina gives him all her attention, not very keen to repeat it. She plays hide and seek, builds a fort with pieces of wood and tells him an animated story which has them both and Little John laughing like madmen, while waiting for lunch to be ready.

He's straddling her lap, his hands tucked in hers, drinking her words like fresh water in a desert. His mouth is open wide with excitement, revealing a toothy grin from ear to ear, mirroring the one on his father and Regina's faces. His eyes are shining, his face radiant, like it hasn't been in a long while, and Regina realizes that she indeed was the reason of his crisis this morning. So while she tells the story of the fierce thief who managed to steal the heart of a princess and took her away from a boring life with a king, she promises herself that she will find time for Connor everyday. Not only will she put him to bed for his nap or at night. She will make sure to share these treasured moments that bring happiness to all three of them on a regular basis.

A hand lands on her shoulder, making her jump, her grip on Connor's hands instinctively tightening to steady him. Regina cranes her neck to see Robin looking down at her, his face a bit sheepish. She's barely seen him since breakfast, noticed him with Matthew in the early morning before they disappeared outside the camp.

"Robin! You scared me!" she exclaims, before questioning. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around for a while."

He bends to drop a kiss to her lips, his fingers finding her neck and stroking lazily.

"You'll find out soon enough." He gives her a mischievous smile, and she raises an eyebrow at him, gaze roaming over his body from head to toe. He's wearing his finest linen white shirt, and a green trouser with black cleaned boots.

"You changed your clothes from breakfast," she notices. "Why are you all cleaned up?"

"I know you have other plans today, but I'd like to steal you for a couple of hours," he asks shyly but with a cocky smile, crouching next to her and speaking lowly while Little John distracts his son with his wooden horse, giving them some resemblance of privacy while they talk in hushed voices.

"Robin, I can't." Regina sighs. "I promised Connor to take care of him today. I can't leave-"

"Please, Regina!"

"Robin, I-"

"Regina!" he insists, and she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

" _I can't_ , Robin! You know I love spending time with you, but right now I have more important things to do. I owe that to him."

"You should go, Regina," Little John steps in, drawing her attention. "I can handle a few hours."

"I know you can, John. It's not you I'm worried-"

"Go!" Her friend urges, exchanging a glance with Robin. "Enjoy some private time with your husband. You two need it."

She gives him a doubtful look, one which is quickly replaced by a concerned one. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't hesitate to come to me if-"

"How many times will I have to repeat myself?"

The firm voice surprises her, leaves her speechless. But she arches an eyebrow, challenges, nodding towards the little boy focused on the toy in his hands. "There's one more person to convince."

Robin gets Connor's attention, smiling as his round and happy face is grinning at him.

"Hey, little man! Do you mind if I borrow Regina for a moment?"

He earns a deep frown, the child reaching for the woman's shirt and gripping it possessively, leaning forward in her embrace.

"She play with me!" He argues.

Robin doesn't miss Regina's low chuckle and the amused glance she shares with Little John, but keeps his mask serious, a bit pleading.

"I know, buddy. But there's something I have to show her, you see? And it's only for today, if I wait until tomorrow, it will be too late."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you," Robin whispers on the tone of confidence. "It's a secret." He pokes his nose playfully. "I promise I'll give her back to you this afternoon. You will have lunch with your daddy, and then go take a nap, and when you'll wake up she'll be right there by the side of your bed." Holding his hand in front of him, he asks, "What do you say? Do you agree to share your Gina with me?"

Connor gives a doubtful glance at his hand, looking up at Regina, who's smiling softly at him, runs an affectionate hand through his blonde curls, nodding slightly. He hesitates, tugs a bit more at her shirt, leans against her chest for a second. But, against all odds, his little hand reaches for Robin's, the man's fingers closing over the child's as he nods shyly, but buries his nose in Regina's neck in the process.

The woman rubs his back, brushes his hair, kisses the top of his head, holds him tight until she feels him ready to let her go. She pulls away slightly, looking down at him, drops a kiss to his nose, earning a giggle in answer.

"Be a good boy for your daddy, okay, Connor?" He nods shyly, reluctantly letting go of the fabric of her clothes, so she assures, tilting his chin up. "I'll be back really soon! You won't even have time to miss me, I promise."

It's with a heavy heart that she lifts him from her lap and deposits him in John's arms, leaning in one more time to kiss his forehead, finger caressing his cheek tenderly as she lets Robin get a hold on her other hand and take her away.

They're heading to their tent, and she frowns, asks him what is on his mind, but he stays silent until they've reached it, stops in front of the entrance, turning her so she's facing him.

"There are clothes for you on the bed. I want you to change into them, and then meet me at the camp's entrance."

She gives him a raised eyebrow, to which he answers with a cocky smile and a kiss on her forehead, walking away before she can even utter a protest or a question.

Regina watches him leave with a puzzled look, but she shakes her head, enters her tent and gazes over to the bed, her eyes opening wide when she finds the blue dress Amelia made for her months ago, the one she'd wanted to wear for a special night with Robin. She walks slowly to it, contemplative, fingers brushing over the fabric, memories washing over her, forcing her to close her eyes for a second.

She opens them again, starts to remove her own clothes, wondering what the hell her husband is up to. She smiles at the thought of a few private hours, despite her guilt at leaving Connor, because Robin and her spent so much time taking care of the children, the camp, the training and everything else that they've barely had time for each other lately. She misses having time alone with him, when they could just go for a walk together. Of course, they still have their baths every morning, thankfully, but with the increasing amount of things on their to do list, they've become more rushed now than savored.

She fastens the lace on the front, pulls on the top a little, freeing her hair from her braid and letting it fall in waves over her shoulders. She doesn't know what's going on, but it for sure involves some kind of romance, and just the thought of it brings butterflies to her stomach, a reminder of the child who lies there, a proof of their love, waiting to be discovered. She covers her abdomen with her hands, murmuring as she smiles absentmindedly. "Soon, my little thief. Soon, you will hear your father's voice talk to you. He's going to be so excited to meet you. You're going to be so loved. You already are."

Pulling out of her thoughts, she walks out of her tent, spotting Robin at the door when she's close enough to see, noticing his appreciative expression when he gazes up and down at her.

"I will never grow tired of seeing you like this," he admits, gathering her in his arms, pecking her lips. "You are absolutely stunning."

"Thank you. You're not too bad yourself, you know? But I want to know where we're going," she answers playfully. "Care to enlighten me?"

"Uh uh!" He shakes his head. "It's a surprise." And then, before she can argue, he turns the paddle three times, nodding at Gilbert standing guard above him before dragging his wife outside. She follows him closely, clutching to his hand, to his arm, leaning in even if she's not in his arms. He makes small talk, asks her about her morning, about Connor, about Snow and Matthew's archery lessons, and she's so focused to answer that she doesn't notice where he's leading her. She doesn't realize he stops their pace as he keeps listening to her, waiting. When she notices, she frowns, turns away from him to look around, and her jaw drops.

She's facing a small meadow, one that she knows very well and loves particularly for its privacy and beauty, and there is a large blanket sprawled on the floor, a basket in its center, on top of which rests a large bunch of wild flowers.

"What is all this?" she breathes, still staring ahead.

He comes behind her, winding his arms around her waist, whispering in her ear. "Happy anniversary, my love."

She stiffens as realization hits her suddenly. It can't be! He must be mistaken! It hasn't been a year! Not already... But she does the math in her head, remembers the Sheriff's attack and her injury, her reunion with and confession to Robin, their shared feelings, his proposal, their wedding, everything that happened since. Admitting her own mistake, she moves in his arms, turning to face him, resting her hands on his chest, looking up at him sheepishly.

"I... It's... I-I'm sorry, Robin. I totally forgot."

"I noticed," he tells her with a comprehensive smile. "And I understand, you have a lot on your mind. But I think we deserve a break. I know you want to take care of everyone, especially the children, but we need some time just for the two of us. This is the perfect opportunity. Despite how difficult this last year has been, marrying you is the best thing that ever happened to me."

Her arms slide around his neck as Regina chuckles, raising on her toes, whispering against his lips before kissing him. "I couldn't agree more."

They sit on the blanket, Regina taking the flowers and humming their scent slowly, sighing contently at the wild and fresh smell, a small smile forming on her lips. She notices Robin looking at her with a smirk, so she ducks her head to the side, lowering the flowers.

"What?"

"Nothing! There's just no way I'll ever get enough of your beautiful smile, that's all."

She leans in, taking his chin between her fingers and leading his face to her, pressing her lips to his for a lingering kiss.

"And I will never be tired of you surprising me like this," she answers with a wide grin. Looking down between them, she pulls back, talking excitingly, "What did you cook?"

Robin opens the basket, chuckling at the beaming face of his wife when she discovers the roasted turkey with potatoes and fresh fruits -her favorite meal.

"Ruth helped me with the turkey, Matthew gathered the fruits." He admits sheepishly, before adding proudly."But I bought the wine and picked the flowers myself!"

Regina shakes her head, her smile wide and bright. "This is perfect!"

She plunges her hands in the basket, takes the plate with the turkey along with a knife, that she hands to her husband. He slices a piece for her, and one for himself, and they start to eat, silently at first, just looking at each other with all the love they share.

But soon, they start to talk. About Matthew, his addition to their family, the happiness he brings them, the way he changed their lives. About the camp, how busy it's become, how much of a refuge it is for so many. About how David grew up, how Snow turned to be a kind young woman instead of the brat Regina met years ago.

And they talk about themselves. What they've been through since they met. All the ordeals, the pain they inflicted to each other, the pain others caused them. How it made them stronger.

They eat while they talk, finish their meal while still in the middle of their conversation. So for a little bit, they just sit next to each other, until their needs get the best of them.

It's been a while, several days, about two weeks maybe, but they've been so exhausted when they are finally alone in their tent at night, that they usually fall asleep almost immediately.

Now, on the contrary, they're wide awake, and alone, energized by the food and precious time they just shared. When Robin pulls Regina onto his lap, pressing her against him, his hands start to wander on her curves, his mouth closing over the skin of her neck, she chuckles, however she doesn't attempt to move away, closes her eyes and enjoys his attention instead.

Robin pulls back to look at her, one hand removing the hair from her flushed face.

"Here?" She asks with a lifted eyebrow, biting her lower lip.

"Can you give me one single reason why we can't do this right here and now?"

Regina stays silent, but the small smile forming on her lips gives away her thoughts.

"I've wanted to take you in that dress since the first time I saw you wearing it," he admits, his palm rubbing her thigh gently.

"I see..." She smirks, bucking her hips forward, earning a low groan from her husband in answer. "I can't really deny your wish, can I?"

She stops him when he attempts to lay her down, her hands reaching for his belt as her thighs tighten around his.

"You want to lead?" Robin questions, but there's no complain in his tone.

However, Regina can't help but ask, "Do you mind?"

He pecks her lips slightly, "Never."

She stays in her dress, but removes her undergarment, then his shirt, the need to feel his strong body under the tip of her fingers too strong to be ignored. She reaches for his cock, eases it out of the pants he's still wearing, stroking lazily, smirking at the way his eyelids flutter and close, his head dropping back slightly. She scoots back on his legs, pushing at his chest to make him lean back, her mouth tracing a slow path on his chest, peppering kisses along his abdominal muscles, feeling him shudder and exhale, groaning as her chin brushes the tip of him. She pulls back enough to guide his shaft to her mouth, and closes her lips over the tip of it.

"God, Regina..." She hears him breathe, swallow hard, supporting himself on his elbows.

She swirls her tongue around and along him, sucking the part where the head joins his foreskin, keeping up the suction a little longer before finally taking him in eagerly, a loud grunt slipping from his lips. She moves up and down, her hand circling the base and following her mouth, stroking at the same time, making him stone hard quickly. She sucks hard as she draws back, licking the tip of him before pulling back, ducking her head to the side and fluttering her tongue against his base immediately, thumb rubbing the head as she circles his length, his moan echoing in the clearing around them. And then, she does what she learned he loves the most, stays at the edge of his cock, and swirls her tongue around the head several time, making it turn in her mouth, a more than loud moan of appreciation shaking him as he enjoys her ministration, the warmth of her mouth surrounding him.

"Reg -my love- Regina, stop! -God- Stop!"

She eases off and releases him with a smug grin, leaning forward to press a kiss on the crook of his neck, making him shiver despite his heavy breathing, the way his chest moves up and down quickly, his breath labored, his eyes still closed.

She leans back and looks at him, waits for him to come back to her, to pull her closer, hands moving under her dress, one heading south between her thighs, the other making its way up to her breasts, mouth closing over her pulse. It's her turn to close her eyes, to enjoy his ministrations, his touch, the way his thumb and forefinger play with her nipple while his other hand sinks two fingers into her, palm coming flat against her clit, making her jerk and cry out suddenly. She winds her arms around his neck loosely, gripping his shoulders, rocking against his touch. Her breath becomes heavy, her fingers flexing and opening over his skin, her thighs trembling, the moans coming from her louder and throaty now.

Regina pushes at his hands when she is close enough, takes a second to recover, and raises on her knees, takes him in hand and sinks onto him, pressing her forehead to his as she exhales sharply, pleasure overwhelming her once more. She's so close that she has to take another breath, another moment. Then, she starts moving, up and down, Robin's arms winding around her waist, pressing her to him and guiding her at the same time. His mouth is against her collarbone, her neck, sucking at her pulse, pleasure blossoming in her, spreading from her core to her entire body as she rides him at fast speed.

She comes a moment later, her rhythm faltering, so she lets him lean back just a bit on his hands and pushing up into her, finishing within a few seconds, his head falling forward on her shoulder with a last groan. She presses her cheek against his temple as they're both recovering from their peak, evening their breath, her hand leaving the ground to cup the back of his head tenderly.

"We need to do this more often," Regina admits, her voice almost a whisper.

She hears Robin's chuckle before he recedes to meet her gaze. "Making love in the middle of a meadow?"

Regina laughs softly, shaking her head, fingers stroking the base of his nape. "That too, but it's not what I was thinking of," she says lovingly, nuzzling his cheek. "I meant taking time just for ourselves."

"Why do you think I insisted so much to come here?" Robin teases, kissing her.

"Ok, you win!" Regina exclaims with fake annoyance, sliding off of him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did. You were right, this was a wonderful idea."

She lets Robin tuck himself back into his pants, puts on her undergarment as she speaks, and when she's finished he grabs her at the waist, making her shriek in surprise as he pulls her to him again, mouth covering hers.

"Apology accepted, my love. Next time you'll listen to me instead of arguing." He gives her a little squeeze to mark his words.

"Absolutely."

As promised, when Connor wakes up from his nap, half an hour later, Regina is sitting by his bed, wearing a smile from ear to ear.

xxx

Two days later

Regina turns the bow in her hands slowly, studying it. She runs her finger along the string, pulling on it a little, releasing, examining the weapon carefully.

"What do you think?" Snow White asks warily, biting her lower lip nervously, twisting her fingers. She's keeping her chin up and spine straight, but Regina knows she's impatiently waiting for the verdict.

She finished creating her first bow the previous day, after several failed attempts and tons of care and focus. She asked for help from Matthew, and Jonas, and of course David. She never thought she would, but she's grown close to the older boy. They still have their fights, but everything they both lost and the closeness they lived in for months helped create a special bond between the two teenagers. He's been really patient with her, his kind and gentle nature easing her somehow stormy although dreamy temper. With time, she discovered a sweet and protective boy with a fierce code of honor and need to help others. One who reveled at the Merry Men's camp, where he can be useful in so many ways. Including helping her built the bow Regina showed her how to make.

"That's pretty good," Regina admits, nodding and smiling at the young girl. "I saw you work on it. You took it to heart to make something of quality. I'm actually quite impressed."

Regina chuckles as she watches Snow White release a relieved breath, so she brings a hand to her shoulder and squeezes slightly.

"I'm being honest, Snow. You did a good job." Knowing what will come out of the girl's mouth, she cuts her before she begins, "Even if it wasn't your first try, and you struggled a lot!" She gives a reassuring look to the sheepish eyes facing her. "No one succeeds the first time! You can talk to Matthew about it, he has quite an experience in this field." She informs with a small laugh and a playful roll of her eyes.

"I know," Snow confesses, chuckling softly. "He already mentioned it when he saw how frustrated I was."

Regina smiles, pride blossoming within her as she thinks of the boy and how much he grew up since she met him. She catches herself, focuses on Snow again.

"See? Trust me, if Matthew is the one who told you that, then it is true. You have much more confidence than he did when he started."

There's a shy smile on the princess' face, but it slowly fades, silence settling between them, Regina understanding quickly that there's something unspoken hanging above their heads when Snow looks away and purposely avoids her gaze.

"What is it?"

She lowers the bow to the floor, takes the girl's hands between hers, waiting for her to speak willingly.

"You really like him, don't you?"

Regina lets out a sigh, understanding where this will go. "Yes, Snow. I do."

"That's why you chose him?"

"I didn't choose him. The circumstances were different." She explains calmly.

"How?" Snow questions honestly, genuine wonder in her tone but not one hint of anger or bitterness. Just incomprehension and sadness. "I understand why you sent me to Ruth's, and I'm grateful, I had a great time there and she and David are really kind. But I needed you. Not just through letters. I needed  _you_ , Regina. When I came back here after we had to run away from the farm, I'd convinced myself you weren't ready to take care of someone. It's then that I found you acting with Matthew as I had wished so hard for you to be with me."

Regina stays silent, watches as the girl struggles to open her heart without being hurtful. She squeezes her hands in reassurance, because Snow is right, and she actually expected this talk to come sooner between them.

"When we first met," the girl continues, "I felt like I had found a new mother, someone to take care of me, to  _love_  me. I wanted you to be that person. You explained why you ran away, and I think I understood. But I missed you, Regina." Snow admits with a bit more force than intended. "I missed you, and I never forgot about you. When I heard that father had finally found you after all these years, I was in heaven. But because you were married, I knew things couldn't be like I hoped they would. As I expected, you left again, went back to a life I wasn't a part of. Then," Her voice grows more serious, eyes glistening and filling with tears at the memory, "Father... He..."

She swallows, closing her eyes and letting a tear escape. Regina is quick to wipe it away with her thumb, cupping the princess' cheek at the same time, stroking gently, encouraging, soothing.

"He passed away," Snow manages "And I found you again. You were the only person I wanted to stay with, the one I needed the most, even. But you sent me away, left me yet again. It was hard in the beginning. Losing my father, my home, my habits, the hope to see you look at me like a daughter..." She whispers the last word, shrugging shyly, as if ashamed. "Thankfully, Johanna was there," Snow resumes immediately in a sturdier voice, "but life at the farm hasn't been easy every day. Getting used to Ruth, David and the huntsman. To live in such a small place. Having to do so many things by myself. But," She pauses, inhales deeply "I'm glad. Because Ruth has been exactly what you promised me she would. She's acting as my mother, treats me like a daughter, and I love her, Regina. I really do. David too. You gave me a new family."

She turns her hands in Regina's, gripping the woman's tightly.

"But in my head, in my heart, you will always be my family too. You were the first person I could picture in place of my dear mother. For so long I hoped I could hold such a place in yours. Except when I came back, I saw you with Matthew. You gave him what I wanted you to give me. And I've tried to understand why. Why you chose him and offered him what you denied me. But I couldn't come up with any answer. I asked Ruth and Johanna, and they said it was something I should ask you, that it wasn't their place to tell me. So," She lifts hesitant and pleading eyes at Regina. "I'm asking. Why did you give him what I could never get from you?"

Regina's eyes are tearful, chest heavy with feelings, strong emotions fighting against each other, because Snow has been right on a lot of things, and how can she explain to the girl the real reason? That it was all about timing. What really happened to her all those months ago after her encounter with Cora. That Snow reminds her of Daniel, of her previous life, of how everything began. That she loves the girl but couldn't find the strength to overcome her deepest and oldest wounds, what's left of her old life despite Robin's healing.

"It's... complicated," Regina begins slowly, searching for the right words. "I've never... I wasn't ready. For a long time, I wasn't ready to be a mother. Four years ago, I was too focused on Daniel to think about anyone else. I'm sorry, Snow," She waves her hands in the girl's hair. "I know how you felt. I've always known. But every time we met, I wasn't in a state of mind to allow a child in. It's not until recently that I opened myself to the idea. Matthew..." She lets out a deep sigh. "It's not that much that I chose him. It just happened. I... When I finally was ready, he was there, needed me as much as you did, and I spent so much time with him, it just felt... Natural?" She watches the pain brimming in Snow's eyes, clutches at her hands once more. "Don't take it wrong! When you lost your father, I wished I could've kept you here with me, believe me. But if I made the decision to send you to Ruth, it was because I knew it would be the best thing for you, that she would be a better mother to you than I ever would. I think what you said earlier proved me right."

She nudges Snow's shoulder with her own playfully, earning a small smile in answer. Regina turns more fully to face the girl, finger tilting her chin up to lock their gazes.

"I'm not going to be your mother, Snow. I'm sorry, but I won't." In front of her evident disappointment, the woman continues in a gentle tone. "It doesn't mean I don't love you," Snow's eyes widen with surprise. "Or that I won't be there for you if you need me. I think we will always be part of each other's lives. A family isn't defined by parents and their children. It goes deeper than that. I think we can be a family, Snow. Just not how it was initially supposed to." Regina ducks her head to the side, glances down at the bow resting on the ground. "I will be your teacher," she waves a hand in the ebony locks, "your friend," leans forward slightly "your confident, if you want me to. Do you think this will be enough?"

It takes a second, but Snow White nods, shyly at first, then firmly, Regina's smile getting to her and widening her own. The woman brings a hand to her neck, and pulls the girl to her chest, hugging her tightly. When she pulls back and meets Snow's eyes, they are shining with the joy of a fixed relationship, and the hope of a better life to come.

* * *

_Present_

" _Snow and I grew closer from that day on. With our feelings out in the open and things cleared between us, we could move on. She used the bow for the first time after that talk, and honestly?" Regina chuckles slightly, "She didn't succeed in hitting the target, as expected, as every student the first time, but... A bit of the exasperating spoiled girl came back to the surface at her failed attempts. I don't know if she was testing me, or if it was caused by our conversation, or something else. I was quick to temper it though, and she apologized, but I ended the lesson, told her we would try a couple of days later. I didn't want to trigger anything else, preferred to see the complaisant young woman she was becoming instead of bringing too many things to the surface so quickly._

_As soon as I released her, she went to help Granny and Ruby. The two had decided to stay with us, given how unstable the situation was in the Kingdom. Granny was a rude, but really nice woman. Not_ _too_ _bad with a crossbow, actually. She asked to be taught when she saw them, told us it reminded her of her youth. For someone who hadn't practiced in years, she was pretty good, best than most students, although we didn't have many. The crossbow was a weapon we kept only for the adults, but even among us not a lot were used to it. But it fitted Granny perfectly._

_As for Ruby... Snow White took a liking to the girl, decided to look after her. It was sweet to watch them together, the princess focusing on someone_ _other_ _than herself, and the little girl eager to listen and learn from her new friend. They really bonded._

_I also noticed the closeness that had developed between Snow White and David. They were constantly arguing, but there was no meanness in their words, it was mostly teasing. It reminded me of Robin and I in the beginning," she chuckles, shaking her head. "They were young and caught in the middle of a war, they needed the fun they were having together, they needed to have someone around their age they could rely on. A deep affection had grown between them, a_ _sibling_ _bond, and it made me happy. I knew they both needed it, and seeing two people I loved_ _whom I_ _brought together getting along so well, even if the beginnings were chaotic, warmed my heart and eased my fear, because I knew they had found a family in each other."_

_Regina leans back, resting her weight on her hands, alleviating the slight discomfort and pain growing in her lower back with the effort of maintaining the same position for so long. She sighs as she moves slowly, folding her knees beneath her, bringing a hand to support her large stomach, straightening her spine the best she can._

" _But in the middle of new friendships, we still had to fight a war. Things sped up suddenly, when the Blue Fairy brought us a hopeful news. Something that was going to allow us to take things in hand..."_

* * *

A week later

"The... There," the boy corrects, "had never been a storm like it. The wind ro... rar... r..."

"Roared," Henry corrects gently, enunciating it clearly.

" _Roared_." Matthew repeats slowly, as if printing the sound into his mind, before looking down at the book opened half on his lap, half on the old man's. "The wind roared in from the... the West one evening in e... er... early?" He glances up to see Henry nod at him, before resuming, "early October. No one was ex... expecting it," he jams against the word, but manages to pronounce it the right way, "least of all the..." The boy frowns, staring at the next word in question, earning a gentle nudge on his shoulder and encouragement from the man he now considers his grandfather. So he focuses, his brow knitting as he attempts, "f... fore... forek... foreca... forecasters!" He exclaims in victory, relief too, letting out a deep sigh that makes the old man laugh.

"I knew you could do it!" Henry congratulates.

"But it was a hard one!" Matthew answers joyfully.

Sharpening the blade of her daggers at a table a little further, Regina watches them in silence, smiling at the sight, at the growing relationship between her father and this boy she loves so much. Henry is so good with him, attentive, caring, affectionate, and Matthew returns the same love he is granted with. She can see he enjoys this time as much as her father does.

"...trees were like cli... clip... clippers in full sail caught in a... a... a u... a..."

"A hurricane," Henry says softly, noticing the struggle.

"A hurricane," Matthew repeats, before looking up from the book. "Grandpa, what's a hurricane?"

Regina jumps slightly as large and warm hands land on her shoulders, lifts her head to meet Robin's eyes and his kind smile. He bends forward to press a kiss to her lips, before straightening again, his front against his wife's back as he tilts his chin towards the two people she was observing a moment earlier.

"How is the lesson going?"

"Good. Matthew is making a lot of progress. This reading ritual is really helping him it seems. Offering him this book for his birthday was an excellent idea."

"Perfect! But I need you for a moment."

Regina lifts a playful eyebrow at her husband, smirking, "Oh, really?"

Robin chuckles, squeezes her shoulders, shaking his head "Not like that, my love, although I wouldn't mind." His tone grows more serious on the next sentence, "The Blue Fairy just arrived. She wants to talk to us."

"Okay, just let me take this," she answers, gathering her tools and shoving them into a satchel, tucking the weapons at her belt.

She gets up and follows Robin across the camp, smiling when she notices Tuck, Alan and Little John standing next to the fairy, but the frown on her forehead gives away her surprise.

"I asked them to attend this meeting," Robin explains. "I thought it'd be interesting for other people to hear what she has to say.

Regina smiles at him, at her friends, at the fairy, "Of course. Hi, Blue!"

"Hello, Regina! I have good news."

Blue flies in front of the small group, explaining how she managed to have a breakthrough. It took time, because the place was concealed from people's sight, so many fairies flew in front of it without knowing it was there. How they discovered it was a fluke, actually. A fairy fell into the place, and only then the enchantment appeared to her. That's how they found it.

Cora's heart.

It's hidden in the woman's vault in her old house, among all the hearts she stole. Regina's eyes open in realization as she remembers that location, mentally kicks herself for her lack of memory, it could've spared them so much time. Even if, technically, she had no idea Cora's heart could be specifically there.

"But there's a problem," Blue announces solemnly.

"I'd be surprised if there wasn't," Regina sighs, clutching to Robin's hand.

"It's protected by magic."

"You have magic. Can't you do something about it?" Alan questions.

The fairy gives him a sad smile. "I'm afraid not. Cora's dark magic has grown incredibly stronger with all the power she's taken, and even I am not a match now. She casted so many and different protection spells. I fear if I try to get past it blindly, I'll be hit before reaching the bottom of the stairs."

"Even with your fairy size?"

Blue ducks her head sympathetically, "I need to be in human size to transport the heart."

"Oh!" Alan realizes. "That makes sense."

"We can't ask you to risk your life for us anyway," Tuck reasons, earning the nod of his friends. "You might be helping, but this is our war."

"I understand," she answers calmly. "But if we don't find a way to get to this heart, I'm afraid sparring Cora's life won't be possible. And we need to stop her. As long as she's in this realm, she's a threat to everyone."

"She proved more than once that nothing and no one would be able to stop her," Little John reminds. "That there's no limit to what she can accomplish."

"I'm starting to think I was wrong the whole time," Regina lets out in a breath, looking down. Her resigned tone draws the attention of everyone around. "If I hadn't decided to-"

"Regina, no!" Robin cuts her, lifting her chin so she's looking at him. "You made the right call."

"But you-"

"You were the only one who wasn't blinded by your anger and hate for her. I don't say I wish her to stay alive," he admits with a shrug. "But I understand why you didn't want to kill her. I want to stick to our first plan. We will find a way to get to her heart and send her away."

"I agree with Robin, Regina," Tuck speaks again. "Showing mercy is the best form of strength and intelligence. It proves how much of a better person you are."

She gives her friend a wry smile, nods firmly, her voice steady. "Then how do we do it?"

The answer is unexpected, comes from somewhere behind them, from someone they didn't think was listening.

"I can go."

They turn around to see Zelena's slim figure standing awkwardly behind them, twisting her fingers nervously, but looking more determined than ever.

"You were spying on us?" Little John asks forcefully, on his guard, accusative.

" _No!_ " Zelena exclaims in a defensive tone, before lowering her voice, not wishing to sound aggressive. "No, I... I didn't mean to snoop. I just wanted to bring some water to the training field," she holds a bucket in front of them as a proof, "when I heard your conversation."

"What did you hear?" Robin questions warily, but it's kinder than his friend.

"That you need my mother's heart, and it's hidden somewhere protected by dark magic."

Regina steps away from Robin's arms, walks to her sister, giving her a frown.

"You don't even know why we need it."

"To stop her," Zelena guesses with a shrug. "That's all I need to know."

"Zelena," Regina speaks slowly, giving her sister a shy smile. "There are a lot of deadly traps there. It's dangerous to-"

"Where is it?" Zelena cuts her. "Where is it hidden?"

Her sister sighs, relents, "Do you remember the fireplace in the main room of my old house?" At her sister's nod, she adds, "It hides stairs that lead to a vault. She keeps all the hearts she's stolen in that place. I had forgotten about it, only went there once a long time ago-"

"I remember!" The red-haired woman cuts. "I remember before we hurried to leave, when the King's soldiers were at our door after they managed to pass the magical shield, she waved her hand in direction of this place. I didn't understand it then, but now..."

She leaves her sentence hanging in the air, because there's no need for explanations.

"So that's where I'll find her heart?" Zelena resumes almost immediately.

"Didn't you listen?" Regina outrages. "It's full of magical traps! You could barely set one foot inside before God knows what happens to you!"

"But you need her heart to get rid of our mother?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then I'll go get it for you!"

A deep and dumbfounded silence falls over the group. Regina stares at her sister with bewilderment, but she's not the only one. Every single man behind her wear the same face. Only the Blue Fairy's features are unreadable.

"You'd risk your life for me?" Regina manages to voice, still a bit shocked.

"You're my sister, Regina," Zelena states matter-of-factly, as if it was enough of a reason. "You lost so much because I didn't listen to you in the first place. I think I need to do more than just transport us somewhere in the forest to fully redeem myself to you."

A lonely tear escapes the younger woman when she reaches for Zelena's hand, holding it between hers.

"Thank you." She swallows hard, still overwhelmed. "But I won't let you go alone."

"I think everyone here agrees that you're safer at the camp," Zelena reasons.

"I'm going with her!"

Regina looks behind her to see that Alan has taken a step forward, giving a nod to Zelena. "She'll have her magic, and I'll have my weapons and the ability to sneak in." Before anyone can argue, he adds, "And my decision is final. We'll leave in the morning."

Regina looks back at Robin. She meets Tuck's smile, and Little John's still doubtful but surprised eyes. She knows this is unanimous, so she nods at the Blue Fairy, who answers in kind.

"It's settled then! I wish you luck." Looking over at Zelena, she ducks her head to the side before flying away, "to both of you."

The next morning, after having hugged Alan tightly, Regina forgets her inhibitions, and takes Zelena in her arms, earning surprised looks from almost everyone who was watching, even startling her sister herself.

Zelena hesitates for half a second before reciprocating the hug. When she closes her eyes, and feels the sincerity in the younger woman's gesture, the real fear behind the whispered words of luck in her ear, she can't help but compare it to the briefs embraces she received from her mother. A spontaneous and warm hug against a cold and distant, almost forced one. It's then that she realizes that what she thought was a honest sign of affection, in reality was nothing else than obligation and lies.

On the contrary, this moment she's sharing with Regina, feels more like love than anything she's ever known. And as she pulls back to gaze deeply into her sister's eyes, Zelena wishes with all her heart to do everything in her power to preserve and protect this precious and growing relationship and the woman facing her.


	26. The most resilient heart : Chapter 18

_Present_

" _Not everyone trusted Zelena, and some even voiced their fears towards her possible betrayal. Despite my exasperation from seeing these reactions persist after all the time she had spent with us at the camp, I also couldn't totally blame them. Some, on the other hand, saw in her initiative to go retrieve Cora's heart a real attempt at redemption, like a public apology for everything she didn't do in the past to stop her._

_Also, knowing that Cora's heart should quickly be in our possession, we increased the intensity of our training, and began reuniting with Blue and Tinkerbell more often to work on a plan to find a way to get inside the castle and end the war once and for all. We tried to keep life as close to normal as possible for everyone else, didn't want the children or women to be burdened by our anguish, even though the former weren't blind and could feel the fear and anticipation running through the camp. But life went on, and we waited impatiently for Alan and Zelena's return."_

* * *

Four and a half months earlier

Five days after Zelena's decision to retrieve Cora's heart

It's been four days since they left, and they're not back yet. Zelena and Alan are still out there, at the mercy of God knows what kind of traps, and the anxiety running through the camp is evident.

But this time, Regina tames hers. She knows where they went, why, has sort of an idea about what they might face. And they gave them six days. They went by foot, because it's easier and better to hide than by horse, and they don't want to trigger any possible magical trap by using Zelena's magic to get there. They won't use it unless forced to, so they need almost two days to go, a little more to come back if you consider exhaustion and potential injuries (although Zelena has proven her ability to heal on the day Robin almost died, she relented to use it after witnessing the man's worsening condition, even if Tinkerbell had assured her it wasn't her fault, but the curse's). It gives them two days there to figure out how to get to the heart.

_They must be getting ready to come back_ , Regina thinks, ignoring the tiny voice that whispers  _if they made it out of there alive._

While they were gone, Regina and Robin brought the bean back to the camp. They put it in a small bag in her nightstand, after explaining to Henry and a few of their friends its purpose, how this single object was supposed to be everyone's salvation. They decided to keep it in the camp now that they felt that the big battle was close, that their chances to defeat Cora were increasing.

Throughout the kingdom, many villagers found refuge in the Merry Men's camp, and a lot of men and oldest sons of families offered their help in the fight. Some were better than others at fighting and using weapons, but they all had a genuine will and need to participate, to play a role in this. They all have lost relatives or friends to this war, and the villagers are well aware that the Merry Men not only have lost some too, but they also kept on the fight, the thefts, they never gave up and did everything in their power to help them survive.

The camp is overcrowded again, but this is a life-threatening situation, and its extension was done specifically for this purpose.

Now, Regina is training peasants and farmers, sellers too, and their sons. They don't plan for the children to go to battle, but they're eager to learn, have been watching the lost kids practice everyday, so there's no reason why they shouldn't learn. If they can defend themselves and their families, then all the better.

She's teaching one of the archery classes with Robin and Arthur, corrects an old man's stance, a family's father hold on his bow, a young man's lack of confidence. She walks in front of the group of a dozen students, nodding when their position is correct, adjusting the flaws she notices, giving indications and tips, before stepping back beside her husband and friend, giving the order to release the arrow.

This group has been training for a couple of weeks, and they are far from mastering the weapon, but some of them manage a good shot, only a few arrows landing on the floor this time. Robin steps forward, explains what they did wrong, what was good, what they need to correct and how. Regina exchanges a glance with Arthur, both thinking the same thing.

The road towards their victory is still really long.

xxx

"Hey! Not that hard!" Snow White exclaims, giving David a hard look, but blocking his sword with her own with all the strength she has.

With the agitation and training in the camp, she increased her practice in archery, but figured, after a talk with her caretakers, David, Regina and Robin, that learning the basic of sword fighting could be a good idea. A bow is a powerful weapon, but it won't help you much if your adversary stands right in front of you with a sharp blade about to slice your throat. Being the princess, if she's found, she will for sure be taken as a main hostage, so she decided that even if her main focus was archery, knowing how to handle a sword could be of some use eventually.

When she's not taking classes from Little John and Eric, she trains with David, allowing him to practice too and somehow, teach her.

Except when he decides to play with her, and this is exactly what's happening right now.

"Do you really think your opponent will go easy on you?" he smirks, giving a push of his blade against hers.

"This isn't a real fight!" She replies forcefully.

"But it could be. What would you do then?"

Snow looks at him with wide eyes, searching through her mind for a way out, then remembers something she saw Regina do during a training. She pulls all her strength against David's sword, pushing it and forcing him to lean back slightly, but it's enough for her to jump back, both their blades falling between them, both teenagers getting a good hold on them immediately.

"Good!" David admits.

"This is heavy," Snow comments, tugging at the sword, a bit breathless. "A bow is easier to handle."

"But it won't help you against..." He swings his sword in front of him, making the girl jump back again with a shriek of surprise, her weapon held in front of her but she fails to block David's blow. Luckily, the boy kept enough distance between them not to hurt her, and with a small smile, David finishes,"...  _this_."

"That wasn't fair!" She accuses with indignation.

"A fight against someone who wants to kill you rarely is." David gives her a smile.

"I agree, but I am for sure not the one who taught you this," Robin's warm voice interrupts, startling the two as they look up at him coming their way slowly, Ruth and Regina making small talk behind him.

David shrugs. "I witnessed some fights when I went to the town over the last year."

"Did you take part in them?"

"No," he says honestly. "But I noticed that the one who usually won was, for the most part, whoever didn't go by the rules."

"Or whoever has the bigger imagination," Robin corrects. "You don't need to break the rules, just to find a way around them, to surprise your opponent. Focus on finding the weaknesses in his attacks, like we did last time, and then strike when and where he expects it the least. That should do it."

The two children nod, Snow White watching Robin in awe, drinking his words, his calm and confidence bringing a small smile to her lips. Regina smiles inwardly. She knows exactly the kind of effect her husband can have on women when he's in the middle of an explanation about fighting.

"Kids," Ruth calls from where she stands with Regina a few feet behind. "Dinner's about to be served. Go get ready!"

They don't need to be told twice, the fight having opened their appetite. Snow White gives Regina a beaming smile when she walks past her, and then exchanges a look with David, a common nod enough of an explanation about what they just decided. Laughing, they start running towards their tent, racing and trying to beat the other, avoiding people who come their way and disappearing from the three adults' sight quickly.

"No running!" Ruth calls anyway, even though they didn't hear her, or chose not to. The only answer she receives is Regina's small laugh as she shakes her head, sharing an amused look with her husband. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," the young woman shrugs. "I'm just glad to see they're getting along so well."

"It wasn't always like this," Ruth says, remembering the first days of Snow White at the farm...

xxx

Seven months ago

Two weeks after Snow White joined the farm

Snow White scrunches her nose, her forehead tensed in concentration, frowning deeply with each attempt, huffing out a breath at her last failure.

"It's not working!" She groans, shaking her head. "It must not have any milk left!"

She starts to wipe her hands on the cloth next to her, rolls her eyes and winces when she finds it dirtier than her fingers.

"It does," David assures with a smirk. "Just try not to squeeze as if you were trying to strangle it. I'm surprised it let you try this long without reacting."

"Since you're such a know-it-all, go ahead!" Snow challenges, gets up from her seat and waves her hand towards the goat for David to take her place.

The young man gives her a smug grin, crouches next to the animal and adjusts his hold on her udder, pressing slightly. Immediately, a flow of milk escapes and ends up in the bucket underneath.

"See! I'm a simple peasant and I can do it! How is it that _Your Majesty_  finds herself unable to simply milk a goat?"

It's teasing, but the tone David uses makes Snow White see red. The princess, fuming, fists her hands, and bumps angrily into him when she moves to take place on the seat he just got up from seconds ago.

"David, be nice!" Ruth says gently. "She's never done it before."

"Maybe not so hard, Snow," Johanna suggests when she sees the girl grabbing two udders harshly.

"She's not listening, mother!" David sighs in annoyance, looks away from Snow, his hand falling flat against his thigh. "I don't know why she came here, there's no way she can become a-"

He's cut off by a sudden piercing shriek, followed by a loud thud, and everyone turns his head towards where Snow White was next to the goat. The animal is still there and standing, but hooves are tapping the floor in annoyance, and the princess is... sprawled on the floor, partially covered with mud and the beast's excrements, the small stool knocked over.

They run over to her, Ruth and Johanna kneeling by her side and making sure that she's alright.

But Snow White is not alright.

Her face is red with growing anger, shame, and tears. She pushes at everyone's hands, struggles to get up, and runs straight outside the shed, already sobbing, ignoring the two women's pleadings and David's throaty laugh.

"That wasn't funny, David!" Ruth scolds him firmly, but the young man shrugs his shoulders, although calming his amusement.

"Well, if she were less stubborn and listened to us instead of just acting superior, maybe I wouldn't find this so funny," he counteracts.

"I'm going to ready a bath," Johanna says softly. "She might not come right away but she's going to need it for sure."

The moment they're alone, Ruth walks to her son, lays a hand on his arm gently, but her voice doesn't call for an argument.

"I know it's not easy. But she comes from a totally different world than us. She doesn't know what hard work is, David, no one ever taught her, because where she grew up she had the luxury to have people doing all of this for her. It's not her fault."

"She could be more comprehensive and less petulant."

"I can't argue with that," Ruth concedes, ducking her head to the side. "But that's the education she received." David gives her a pointed look, making his mother sigh and chuckle a little at the same time "Alright, maybe some of that attitude is coming from who she is. But you and I, we can help her become a better person. That's part of why she's here, honey!" She reminds. "That's what Regina entrusted us to do."

"I know."

The smile on David's face has disappeared, his head has dropped to the floor as he scratches the back of his skull, embarrassed all of a sudden.

"I want you to apologize for your rude behavior," Ruth says.

"I will."

She cups her son's chin affectionately. "That's my boy. Let her cool off and change, then go."

"Alright, mother."

When David walks to Snow White who's sitting on a fallen log on the farm's porch an hour later, she has changed her clothes, her hair is still a little damp from having been washed, but her skin is clear of all the dirt she was covered with.

"Can I sit here?" He asks kindly, nodding towards the free spot next to her.

"Are you going to make fun of me again?" Snow questions, defensive, glaring at him.

"I won't. I'm here to apologize."

She looks at him for a moment, studying him maybe, finally nodding and letting him take place next to her.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier, I was out of place," David says honestly.

"I could've been less impulsive, I guess."

"Does that mean you're ready to listen to me next time?" The boy challenges.

Snow looks at him in the eyes like he's a fool then. "You saw me there! I couldn't make it work, and I hurt the goat so much it pushed me off of my stool. It won't let me try another time, and anyway, I'll never do this again."

David chuckles, smiles at her. "This is nonsense. The only way to overcome something is to face it, to go back and try to milk that damn stubborn goat as soon as possible."

The princess' face clouds immediately, her lips parted slightly, a frown baring her forehead as she stares at him with incredulity.

"What? What did I say?" He asks.

"Someone told me that before." she breathes.

"What? To milk a goat?" David questions with a furrowed brow, to which Snow answers with a roll of her eyes.

"No, you silly! To face my fears sooner rather than later."

David's face shifts into a softest one. "Who told you that?"

"Regina."

David moves on the bench to face Snow White fully.

"She's the one who taught me this, to never give up."

"Really?" Snow's eyes light up like a candle at the mention of the woman.

"Really," David nods. "She used to spend a lot of time here, we were really close."

"Tell me about her," Snow says with interest. "Tell me how she came to teach you this!"

David casts his look down to his hands, fidgeting nervously with a piece of his shirt.

"We met Regina on a tax collection day. The soldiers were turning our farm upside-down, because we didn't have any money to pay our due. She made them believe she was my cousin, that she went to the closest town to gather enough to pay our taxes. I don't know if they really believed her, but the tax collector took the money and left. After that, she and Robin started to come here regularly, and they asked us about our lives, to get to know us, you know? They quickly realized that all my mother and I were doing was surviving. We weren't  _living_. We were surviving. We tried to make the farm work well enough so we could pay our dues, and even when we couldn't, we never resisted, never attempted to find another way to fight back when they'd torn our house apart. They asked why, and my mother's answer was that we didn't know how to do it any other way, that we were just a woman and her son, there was no way for us to stand up to soldiers. As she spoke, I remember feeling someone looking at me intensely. It was Regina."

David looks up from his lap, meets Snow White's attentive eyes.

"She didn't say anything at the moment, but later that day, she came to find me. She urged me to talk, to explain the reason why we were giving up. She'd seen me work with Robin, she knew I was capable of doing most of the farm's work they were helping us with. She sat next to me, took my hand, and listened as I told her my reason." He clears his throat.

"When I was 6 years old, one morning, I woke up hearing my father and my mother go at it. They fought a lot... Usually over the same thing... his drinking. But this time, something was different, and I heard my father not yelling, but crying... And through the tears, he said to my mother words I would never forget. 'I  _will_  beat this'. He said to her 'I have to be better for the boy. I have to be different. I have to  _stop'_. And he promised he would."

Snow White listens, without interrupting him, focused on his story, but she understands how painful this memory is, so she doesn't even think twice, closes her fingers over David's, squeezing his hand kindly, smiling when he gives her a grateful nod.

"Every few months we needed supplies. It was a two-week journey, usually one that was a two-week bender. But he said he was leaving this time, and he wouldn't touch a drop, and in two weeks, he would be back home, himself again. Her husband, my father. We'd be a family." David chuckles dryly but it lacks any resentment. "My mother kept this secret from me, but I knew. And every morning for two weeks, I woke with a smile on my face knowing my father would be back. So... on the fourteenth day, I arose and I heard a knock at the door and I ran to open it, ready to hug my father..." The smile that had quickly grown on his face fell, "and I was greeted by the local constable. Yeah, my father fought his battle... And for thirteen days, he won. But on the fourteenth, he spent his last night in a tavern... And they found his body in the wreckage of our cart, at the bottom of a ravine. So," The boy straightens his spine, sighing as he speaks, "after that day, I convinced myself that some battles can't be won. That some forces are too strong, and all you can do is endure and wait for it to pass."

"I bet Regina didn't like that conclusion," Snow says softly, holding back a chuckle but David gives into it.

"Oh no, she didn't! The first thing she did was to call my father lousy." He actually laughs at that, so Snow follows, relaxed to see him take things from the brighter side. "She told me he was weak, and that because of him,  _I_  was strong. She told me that this story was the exact reason why I should fight for what I have. She said that the only way for me to overcome my fears was to face them, to take things in hand and try my hardest to be a better man than my father, to prove him wrong, to show my mother and myself that every battle can be won if you have enough will and courage, if you go to the bottom of things instead of just giving up at each ordeal."

"That's good advice."

"Yeah," David admits. "From that day, I spent my time outside, repairing everything that needed to be fixed, using the money the Merry Men gave us to buy new tools, new beasts. I'm not sure we could've done that without their help, but in less than a year we built the small stable, got our first horse a year after. We gave life to that old farm again, and a meaning to ours. I saw my mother smile proudly again for the first time in years when she realized what we had accomplished." Growing serious, David looks at Snow square in the eyes. "We owe so much to them. To Regina, Robin, the Merry Men. They gave us so much, I don't know where we would be without them."

"You can be proud of yourself, David. I may not have told you before, but this place is really nice."

"Even the sheets' enclosure?" He teases, laughing at the playful eye-roll Snow gives him.

"Yes, even the sheets' enclosure!"

"What about you?" He asks suddenly, startling the girl, making her frown at him.

"What about me?"

"How did you meet Regina? Why did she tell you this?"

The princess' smile is soft as she thinks back of her encounter with the brunette, years ago.

"Oh, she just saved my life," she says nonchalantly, smiling, and then sharing a chuckle with the boy next to her.

"Just that, huh?" David laughs.

"Yes," Snow agrees. "Just that." She pauses for a moment, takes a deep breath, gaze wandering ahead, thoughtful. "My father and I were making a trip through the kingdom, when my horse suddenly took off. I had no control over it, and it ran for what felt like hours, until Regina heard my screams, and rescued me before I fell off its back. She rode until our steeds were side by side, and then she grabbed me, pulled me on her horse, slowed down and let me slide down to my feet. I was so scared, and I remember thinking that she was so beautiful she had to be an angel. I was shaking with fear, told her I would never ride again. She made sure I was okay, put her hands on my shoulders, told me that getting back on that horse was the first thing I should do. She was amazing," She frowns, shakes her head. "Well, she still is. And I miss her. I wish she could be here with me."

"Me too," David breathes. "She hasn't come here in months. But she had her reasons to have sent you here with us. And she has her reasons to stay away. It doesn't mean she doesn't think about us too."

"I know."

Holding his hand out, David suddenly gets up on his feet, plastering a smile from ear to ear to his face, almost laughing at Snow White's puzzled look.

"Come with me! Let's be worth of her teachings. You'll show her how great of a farmer you can be the next time you see her."

His smile reaches her, she takes his hand, and follows him willingly.

From her spot in the house behind the window, Ruth watches the pair head for the animal's' enclosure hand in hand with a reassured smile. She catches the sight of the huntsman emerging from the cover of the forest with what looks like a package over his shoulder -probably his catch of the day- and glances back at the two teenagers. And deep down within her, she has a gut feeling that something unexpected can emerge from that growing relationship.

xxx

Ruth finishes her tale with a thoughtful smile.

"They were impossible in the beginning, gave Johanna and I gray hairs with the number of fights we had to put an end to. Sometimes, I have no idea why, the huntsman was the only one able to get through them." She looks over to where the teenagers disappeared. "But that day, something happened between them, like they found common ground, understood each other, shared something deeper, I don't know. All I know is that now, they can count on each other. I think they both found something in this relationship that benefits them. And they really appreciate each other. I know David would give his life for Snow if necessary, and I'm certain she would do the same," she finishes sadly, reminding everyone of the situation they're living.

Robin rests a gentle hand on Ruth's shoulder, making the woman look up at him. "Let's make sure it doesn't come to that."

xxx

A couple of days later

Regina is the first one to the gate when she hears Gauthier's voice announcing that Zelena and Alan were within sight, stomping impatiently while the door is lifted, rushing outside and in front of the two travelers the second she's able to.

She gasps as she finds them covered with burns, their clothes ripped, small drops of dry blood on Zelena's eyebrow and Alan's lower lip and chin. They look exhausted, faces pale, struggling to walk, so they don't relish in leaning against Regina and Tuck when they come to support them.

They are brought inside the healing cabin, and they're sat side by side on the wooden examination table, Regina holding both their hands while Tuck gets everything ready and Robin and Little John join them inside.

"You look awful," Regina can't help but comment, drawing a low chuckle from Alan.

"Thank you, Regina. It's really nice to see you too."

She pokes his arm playfully, earning a painful groan in answer, frowning immediately as she sees him wince in pain.

"That bad?"

Zelena nods. "Yes. Mother is even more resourceful than we anticipated. But her traps weren't a match for us," she smiles at Alan, evident memories of the adventure they shared flashing between them. "We did it," she announces, plunging her hand under her cloak. "We found her heart."

She holds the shining organ in front of her, everyone's gaze drawn to it, the regular beating resonating in the cabin.

Regina takes it carefully between her hands.

"How can you be sure it's Cora's?" Little John questions, ever suspicious of the red-haired woman.

Alan is the one who answers, "Because it was the only one protected by blood magic."

"Blood magic?"

Zelena clears her throat. "We managed to pass every trap and spell Cora had raised, until we saw a box, alone on an altar in the middle of a backroom, behind the one where all the other hearts were kept. The beating coming from it... It was like it was calling us. Alan approached it first, but he was kept away by an invisible barrier. When I tried, I was able to go through the shield without doing much effort. I read about blood magic several times. Only someone who shares the same blood as the caster can break the spell."

"Her daughters." Regina murmurs. "Us."

"Yes," Zelena confirms. "I guess Cora had planned this since the beginning, one of us going there."

"Why?" Regina questions. "Why would she make us the only ones able to take her heart?"

There's a deep silence following, Zelena and Alan exchanging an uneasy glance. The woman looks down, and it's Regina's friend who declares, locking their eyes.

"Because it was booby trapped. Zelena almost died in there. Her magic is the only thing that allowed her to get out."

"However, for someone without magical abilities..." Zelena adds, not needing to finish her sentence.

Regina takes a step back, the revelation dawning upon her as she whispers with incredulity. "So if it had been me..."

"You would've died."

It takes her a beat, but Regina slowly drops the heart on the table, taking a deep breath and a few steps away, she turns her back on everyone, feeling their heavy looks upon her, but she just ignores them.

Her mother had planned to kill her. Her mother set up a trap from the beginning, so if Regina came close to her heart, she would've never survived. Everything she's told herself, that Cora wanted to hurt her without ending her own daughter's life, is washed away.

She feels it boil in her again, the sensation she's experienced quite a few times now. This is not the one full of love.

No.

This one is full of hatred, anger, disappointment,  _despair_. It's stronger than what she felt in front of Marian, in front of Gisborne, even when she lost Amelia. A rage so intense that all Regina can do is stop breathing and focus all her energy on  _it_. But as it grows, the sensation suddenly becomes so overwhelming that she has to close her eyes and fists tightly, hugging herself as everything threatens to escape, unable to suppress a whimper as she struggles against the feelings inside her, and the fight to keep everything locked inside becoming physically painful.

There is a hand on her shoulder, a worried call of her name, but her mind is completely blinded by the need to make her mother pay. Regina doesn't open her eyes, doesn't move, body tense and on edge, and she doesn't relax, not even when she feels arms pull her in an embrace, lips pressing on her forehead in a lingering and soothing kiss.

As an antidote to the darkness threatening to invade her, Robin's touch brings warmth into Regina's heart. It allows light to make its way inside, to push away the anger, replacing it with love. Although unaware of the power he's currently having on his wife, Robin keeps his gentle touch, his loving kisses, soothing rubbing of her back, until finally, he feels her let go, leaning against him with a heavy sigh, snuggling in his embrace. The young woman can't suppress tears from falling slowly down her cheeks, but there's no sob shaking her. She's simply evacuating the treacherous anger through the small drops of salty water.

The silence of the room is disturbed by a sudden growling, startling them, Regina jumping in Robin's arms, turning her head to look behind her, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Alan brings a hand to his stomach guiltily, bites his lower lip.

"I'm sorry. We haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

A welcomed and light chuckle runs among all of them, easing the atmosphere, Little John slipping outside with the promise of bringing something to feed them.

Tuck uses that change of subject to draw the conversation somewhere else, grabbing some bandages and ointments.

"Regina, can you help me with this?"

And for the next minutes, until Little John brings them food, Regina works with her friend and husband to take care of the two travelers.

* * *

_Present_

_Regina tucks a strand of hair behind her ear._

" _We met on the same night to finish building our plan. Now that we had my mother's heart, we could formulate something coherent and safer. Blue and Tinkerbell were there, assured us of their support, that the fairies would be on our side on the final day. The people we were training all volunteered to participate, even if only a handful of them could be considered trained enough to go on the battlefield._

_It was decided, we would go after Cora first. Georges was ruthless and unfair, but his position at the head of the kingdom was legitimate by blood, and we knew that without my mother's help he would be weakened. He could wait, while she had to be stopped as soon as possible. So, that night, we decided to attack a week later. Time for us to gather other people among the land, train our recruits a little more, and that would be it. Our final move._

_Except we never anticipated what happened next..."_

* * *

Two days later

"Like this?"

Regina looks down at Connor, sat on her lap, attempting to wash the vegetables she just peeled, cut and put into the large bowl full of clean water in front of him.

She'd been cooking dinner with Ruth and Granny when Little John brought his son to her, asking if she could watch him for a couple of hours while he was training. She put the boy to work, gave him the  _extremely_  important task of cleaning the carrots, potatoes and leeks from the remnants of soil after she'd sliced them. He's been more than eager to participate, his large grin turning into a frown when he focused on his assigned task, the innocence and naivety of his remarks making the women laugh more often than not.

"Exactly like this, Connor!" Regina nods. "You're doing a perfect job!"

She presses a kiss to the top of his head and he goes back to his task. Looking up, Regina can't help but glance around. Snow is sitting at the table just next to hers, helping Ruby with the spelling lesson they had the previous day. Johanna is checking their work every now and then, focusing on repairing her ripped clothes whenever she's not -she's taught the princess how to do it for her own clothes, so Johanna can take more time for herself now, doesn't have to make sure Snow's dresses are without a rip-. Ruth and Granny are in front of her, busy carving and cutting up the meat, a task Regina was dealing with before Connor climbed onto her lap and she decided the knife used for the vegetables was shorter and less sharp than the one for the turkeys they'll have tonight.

"I still can't believe you manage to eat meat twice a week!" Granny exclaims. "In most villages, it's a luxury. You can be satisfied if there is food on the table to begin with, whatever that food is."

"The only reason we do is because this part of the forest is wild and deep. There's a lot of animals to hunt, even though we try to restrain the killing to the minimal. We used to bring some food to the families in need, but now, with the situation in the kingdom... If one of us, or even a peasant is caught by a soldier while carrying a whole turkey, he's arrested for theft and sentenced to death."

"Can't argue with that! The royals want to starve the people, to make them pay for being on your side."

"It makes them weak too." Ruth says. "A man who is not properly fed and who already works all day won't have the strength to fight back."

"True," Granny agrees.

"We really need to put an end to this," Regina sighs.

"Soon!" Ruth reminds, looking softly at the young woman. "Very soon!"

Regina gives her a smile, but drops the subject immediately, decides to focus on something lighter, something better, something that will make her feel good instead of guilty and anxious.

She nuzzles Connor's hair playfully, earning an amused giggle from him. His hands splash into the bowl of water as he wriggles on her lap, sending some to the both of them, only increasing their laugh and bringing the two older women with them. Regina abandons the knife and potato to wipe her hands with a clean towel, fingers closing over Connor's waist and tickling him. His laugh is fully throated now, same as hers, and he squirms in her arms as she holds him tight, her nose buried in his neck, playing with him and reveling in the feeling of pure happiness invading her. She'd love to have more moments like this, when she can be young and silly, have fun with a little boy she loves with all her heart, with no care for obligations, trainings, planning attacks, nor unwanted magical abilities making their presence noticeable to her every time she experiences a strong emotion.

Regina scoots back on the bench just enough so she and Connor won't risk throwing all the food to the floor, she presses a lingering kiss on his neck, her hands stilling against his body as he breathes soundly, recovering and still chuckling. He's totally pressed against her front, seemingly exhausted, although she knows he still has a lot of energy left, but they take a moment. She moves a hand to his forehead, trails her fingers into his blond curls, closing her eyes as she feels him clutch to the arm she's wrapped around his middle, anchoring himself to her.

"What do you say we finish cooking dinner, and then we resume this battle?" Regina offers. "I'm for sure going to be the winner!" She challenges.

"No! Gonna be I!" Connor exclaims with force, almost jumping on her lap and sagging against her immediately, obviously in dire need of these moments too.

"I wouldn't bet on that!" Regina argues playfully. "I'm very resourceful, you know?"

"Me too!" he insists, even though she has a gut feeling he's not certain of what resourceful means. "I gonna win, Gina!"

"I'm with the kid!" Granny says, earning a proud toothy smile from the boy. "I'm sure he'll have the upper hand!"

"Thanks for the support!" Regina laughs softly, shaking her head. She settles Connor comfortably against her again, presses a kiss to his temple before telling him to keep washing the vegetables as she starts to dry them.

"Maybe you-"

Ruth is cut off by a startling, almost deafening sound. The camp suddenly freezes, everyone turning towards where it came from, away in the distance.

Regina looks over her shoulder in the direction of the entrance, her grip on Connor instinctively tightening as she watches Arthur become alert and focusing from his higher spot, checking the surroundings with the only spotting scope they have -they got it from a pirate with a hook in place of a hand two years ago, exchanged it for two of their finest blades-.

Everyone is holding their breath, silent, waiting.

"Gina?" a shy voice is heard, Connor looking at her in question, gripping her arms.

She doesn't answer, instead focuses on Arthur, on what she hears, the birds flying away from where the explosion occurred, the ruffles of leaves as the wind increases slightly for a second or two.

The second explosion is almost simultaneous with Arthur's strong voice "Soldiers! Black Knights for sure, but it seems Georges' men are there too, I think I see his emblem on a flag. There's too many to count, but probably several hundreds. They're heading towards the camp. They got into two traps for now, they appear to have slowed them down, but they must be less than three or four miles away."

"The Evil Queen?" Someone asks.

"I don't see her yet. Or the King."

It's instinctive.

Regina rises from the bench, scooping Connor in her arms, ignoring the child's calls of her name as she heads briskly towards the training field, stopping when she notices Robin and Little John coming her way.

"There's only one reason why they are that far into the forest," Robin states.

"They're coming for us," Regina answers. "They know where we are."

"But how?" John questions, gathering his confused son in his arms. "Could someone have betrayed us?"

His implication is clear, and Regina argues immediately, her tone defensive. "Zelena has been out with Alan for only an hour! There's no way she could've warned our mother in such a small amount of time."

"She could've done it before. You have to admit the timing is odd!"

"I trust her!" Regina insists. "She risked her life for us when she went to get that heart. Even Alan-"

She stops abruptly, realization dawning upon her, mentally kicking herself, turning on her heels and rushing towards the place in her bedroom where she hid Cora's heart, her friend and husband close behind.

"Regina, what is it?" Robin asks when they step inside, as he watches her remove their stuff and throwing them on the ground before grabbing the large, squared wooden box with both hands, opening it warily.

The organ is shining a blue light, and Regina shakes her head, sighs in defeat.

"The timing is indeed odd, John, but not for the reason you think of. Zelena's been in this camp for weeks. This heart? Only two days. Why would she have risked her life to retrieve it and brought it here when she could have warned Cora weeks ago?"

"To earn your trust?" He guesses.

"But my mother wants me dead. Why wait? It doesn't make any sense." She watches realization fill his eyes, while she finishes explaining her assumption "Cora must have put some kind of spell on it to find it if it was stolen. It never shone like that before. It must be how they got here."

This time, even Little John agrees, pulling his son closer.

"It's time." Regina states matter-of-factly, closing the box and staring blankly ahead of her.

"For what?"

She turns around to face Robin and Little John, her body straight and voice serious as she speaks, "To finish this."

"Regina-" Robin begins.

"We have everything we need, Robin. We have the bean, her heart, my sister's help and we've been training for this for months. I know the circumstances are not ideal, but if we don't put an end to this now, she will destroy us. She's targeting the camp! Our  _home_! Our  _families_! There's no way I'm letting her get away with that. I know she's coming. She's sending her guards to make as much damage as possible, but she will come. And I'll be waiting for her." Looking down at the box in her hand, she adds. "We need to get more time, as much time as possible until Zelena comes back. She's the only one who's able to put that back into Cora's chest."

She looks at Connor then, frightened and clutching to his father's neck, eyeing her curiously, probably wondering what is happening. She glances at John, understanding passing through them as Regina walks to them, her hand reaching for the boy's back, rubbing tenderly.

"Gina?"

"I love you, Connor." Her other hand lifts to his cheek, caressing it softly. "I love you so much. You're an amazing little boy, you know that?" He stares at her with a puzzled look, silent, so she presses a kiss to his brow, then sticks her forehead to his. "I will  _always_  love you, never forget that," she promises, before stepping away, hurrying out of the tent without looking back, aware of Robin following her, gripping her arm and turning her towards him.

"Regina, you don't have to say goodbye," he assures, and she nods, but her eyes are a mix of fear and determination.

"I know. It's just... I don't want him to think I abandoned him."

"You're not."

" _I know_ , Robin!" Regina repeats, her forehead falling against his chest for a second. "I'm so scared. I've thought of this moment for so long but now that we're here..."

Robin doesn't answer, just holds her to him, rubbing her back slowly. But there's agitation spreading among the camp, and they don't have much time. "We have to go," he reminds softly.

She takes a last deep breath, and pulls back, straightening her spine and looking at him with determination, nodding firmly. She catches the sight of Little John handing Connor to Helena and speaking to him, kissing his cheek and reluctantly pulling back, struggling to turn his back on his son as Connor starts crying. But Regina's thoughts are interrupted when she hears her husband's voice, so she looks at him, attentive.

"Men!" Robin calls with force, getting the attention of the Merry Men and everyone else, letting them gather in circle around them. "The Black Knights and Georges' army are at our door! This is the opportunity we've been waiting for to put an end to this madness. To end the Evil Queen's reign of terror, and Georges' tyranny. We have to stop them. We have to protect our camp, our loved ones, our lives." Looking over at the women standing to his left, he orders. "All those who don't fight stay hidden here. If we fail to stop them, you are to escape through the exit in the new aisle." He turns towards his men again "Every combatant take as many weapons as possible. They're on  _our ground_. They're threatening  _our families_. They've gone after so many innocents, so many of our friends. Let's make them regret it!"

A shout of agreement runs among the men as Regina steps forward, breaking contact with her husband. Gathering the ideas she had during Robin's speech, she explains her rushed thought battle plan. "We all get out of the camp before any of these soldiers discover the entrance. Fifteen men go in reconnaissance, Merry Men only. If you can, lead the soldiers towards our traps, so we can get rid of as many as possible before we even start fighting."

She watches as several of her friends are already gathering to form the small group she just requested.

"The others will spread in the forest to surround the enemy, forming a shield between them and this camp. No one under seventeen is coming!" she says firmly "And once out there, do not stay alone! I want groups of three to four men, so there's always someone to have your back. I know my mother, she will only show up when we are at our most vulnerable, when her men will have exhausted us. Once she's there, do  _not_  try to confront her!" She takes a deep breath, looking over at Robin, acknowledging his firm nod when he understands what she's about to say. "Leave her to me. I'll finish this. In the meantime, you wait for my signal before striking."

"What will it be?" She hears coming from the crowd.

"An arrow hitting their commandant square in the chest."

Her firm tone is enough to conclude the speech, and each man heads towards either the armory, or their families. It's time for goodbyes, and good luck wishes, warm trembling hugs and kisses. None of them knows if they'll be back by the end of the day.

Regina takes two quivers full of arrows, and four daggers, watching Robin do the same. They then rush to their tent, Regina calling Tinkerbell at the same time, opening the drawer where she kept the magic bean in a small bag when the fairy appears.

"Regina-"

"We're being attacked," Regina cuts her, shoving the little bag in her pocket, and securing the larger one carrying her mother's heart at her belt so it won't fall during the battle. "It's my mother. Zelena is somewhere in the forest with Alan. Can you find them, tell them to come and join us as soon as possible? I'm taking the heart with me, so it leads my mother to me and not to the camp. But I'll need Zelena." She's taking the bow and sword Robin is holding for her, his are already slung over his shoulder and put into his sheath, when Tinkerbell answers, with all the urge the situation holds.

"Of course!" And then, before disappearing, "Good luck."

Once they're set, Regina and Robin step out of their tent, walk towards where the small school is, not noticing the small transparent object that has fallen from the bag, resting on the floor next to their bed.

They look for faces they don't see, but are stopped by a voice coming from behind them.

"Regina?"

They turn around to see Snow and Ruth facing her, David and Granny just behind.

Regina hugs the girl quickly, then the woman, because there's no time to lose. She notices both David and Granny have their weapons in hand, so she stops them immediately.

"No!"

"Regina-" David starts to argue, but Robin cuts him.

"You're not coming! We said no one under seventeen. Plus, we need people to protect those who can't fight. If the soldiers manage to get into the camp, it will give a last line of defense."

Regina looks warmly at David, whose disappointment is obvious, before turning to Granny and Ruth, the boy's mother nodding her agreement and gratefulness. She watches as Helena -carrying a shaken Connor- joins them to listen, so Regina tells her, "Get everyone to safety if there's a breakthrough in our defense. Don't think about us! Save your lives and the children!"

"Easier said than done," Helena says softly.

"I know," Regina walks slowly to her, a finger brushing Connor's cheek as she gazes softly at him, before meeting the woman's gaze. "But you've been here long enough to know our families are what matter to us the most." She whispers the next words, quickly glancing at Connor, who's trying to jump into her arms, her hand dropping to his shoulder to stop him. "Take a good care of him."

Regina nods to the  _I will_  Helena gives her in answer, before cupping Connor's chin, stilling him. "You're staying with Helena, Connor! Your father and I have some things we need to take care of. I want you to be good during our absence, alright?"

He starts to argue, but she cuts him, her voice so firm it shuts him up. She weaves a hand in his blond curls tenderly one last time, before stepping away.

She finds the faces she was looking for a short moment later, and is met almost immediately by a body colliding with her at full speed, as Matthew runs to her and wraps his arms around her waist.

"We were in the middle of a class when it happened," Henry explains, close behind. "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say, daddy." Regina answers sadly, absent-mindedly stroking the thirteen year-old's head.

"I wish you luck!" The man says. "Come back safe, both of you!" His hand finds Robin's shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"Thank you, Henry."

The old man gives his son-in-law a smile, turning to his daughter immediately after. "I believe in you, Regina. I know you will stop your mother."

As Matthew untangles from her to go to Robin, Regina takes her father in her arms, holding him tight, struggling to let go, but a third explosion makes her jump back.

She joins Robin, who is kneeling in front of Matthew, the boy harboring a concerned expression, unable to hide the fear he's full of.

"I want you to stay safe at the camp with your grandfather," Robin orders gently. "You listen to what you're being told. If they ask you to evacuate, you go!"

"But... Then how will I find you if I leave?"

" _We_  will find you!" Robin assures. "We won't let them win. But in order for us to focus on beating them, we have to be certain that you're safe. Do you understand, Matthew?"

"I think so." He lets out a deep breath, no trace of his usual shyness when he says honestly for the first time, "I love you. You're my mom and dad. I don't want to lose you."

Robin and Regina glance at each other, tears gathering in their eyes, blinking them away as they turn to the boy, smiling. Regina brings a hand to his face, stroking lovingly, warmth and love suddenly invading her, so strong and vibrant it takes her breath away and she has to force herself to speak.

"We love you too, Matthew. So much. That's why you have to stay here. So our wonderful son is waiting for us when we come back."

He jumps in her arms, hope piercing in his voice even though he knows he's asking for something they can't really give him. "You promise?"

Regina pulls back to look him in the eyes. "I can promise you that whatever happens today, you will never be alone again." She meets her father's gaze as he nods, before kissing the back of Matthew's hand, holding it between her owns.

She gets up as Robin takes him into an embrace, saying when he rises on his feet. "I love you, my son. No matter what."

There's a rush of adrenaline coursing through them as Little John and Tuck startle them with a hand on their shoulders, tilting their heads towards the camp's entrance.

"We're ready."

Robin follows Little John, and Tuck halts Regina's walk for a second, glances down between them.

"Are you sure you're ready for what's waiting for us outside?"

Regina understands what he means, suppresses the reflex of covering her abdomen with her hand as she speaks. "Yes. Tonight, my child will finally be safe."

Tucks nods, leads her forward. "Very well. But if you don't mind, I'm in your team. I want to keep an eye on you."

Regina smiles warmly, tilts her head to the side. "You know it's always an honor to fight by your side."

"Works both ways," Tucks answers as they join the others, Robin turning towards them.

As they're about to pass the door, Regina takes Robin's hands in hers, squeezing slightly, looking him square in the eyes "Robin... When I face my mother... Please, just... Don't get in my way."

She sees a comprehensive smile forming on his lips, before he replies "I wouldn't dream of it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story took a huge step forward here. Are you ready for what's coming up next?


	27. The most resilient heart : Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready? Because it's finally here! The big battle is coming, and I hope that you don't take anything for granted, because for me, a war isn't won with rainbows, unicorns and zero casualties. A war is a war, and our favorite heroes are right in the middle of it! (but I'm still going to hide while you read this XD)

_Present_

_Regina takes a deep breath, tugs her cloak over her shoulders when she shivers slightly. She glances around, notices the sun is really low in the sky. She needs to finish this tale before they have to head back to the small camp they settled not far from here._

" _That was it. The final battle. The opportunity to finish everything, to send my mother away, to give Snow White her kingdom back, Robin and I our life, the villagers their peace. I was terrified, but determined. We had formed a thorough battle plan involving both the fairies' and the people's help, and there we were, forced to fight when we weren't expecting it, to defend ourselves instead of attacking, to know our families were at risk of being discovered. Zelena was out with Alan, and she was the only one able to put my mother's heart back in her chest. I had sent Tinkerbell to fetch her but my sister still had to be there in time. She was supposed to help me deal with our mother, but her powers could also have been a great help against the soldiers. The fairies were supposed to provide us with magical items to knock them out, other villagers aside from the ones living with us would've brought more men to fight for our cause. I was really scared, because if Zelena didn't come back in time, I truly had no idea how to deal with our mother, how to get rid of her as planned. But in order to put the odds in our favor, I needed to be focused. So I only thought of leading my men into battle, to defend and protect our families, our children..."_

* * *

Four and a half months earlier

The final battle

They're hiding behind trees and branches, behind bushes and rocks, waiting.

There have been three more explosions, three more traps triggered by soldiers, taking down a good amount of them. It scared the remaining ones, unsettled them, made them slow their pace as they now are more careful, more aware of their surroundings, but they're scattered, making them easier targets.

The first group of Merry Men, those who led the soldiers into the traps, came back, and now are waiting for Regina's signal.

There's a deadly silence in the air, and everyone is holding their breaths.

Regina is comfortably settled into a tree, has a large view of the army moving blindly in their direction. She ignores how many enemies have fallen, but from what she can see, more than a hundred or two at least are still on their feet, weapons in hand. With only sixty Merry Men and about twenty-five peasants and farmers, they're more than outnumbered, but Regina has faith, believes in her friends, in their ability to fight, their fierce, and their loyalty to each other.

She spots the man who is walking ahead of the others, the one wearing an outfit slightly different than the simple soldiers. The one guiding.

The commandant.

Her target.

She readies an arrow, pulls on the string, and aims at his chest. There will be no mercy. The lives of everyone they love, and the future of the kingdom, are at stake.

She holds her breath for a moment, then releases the arrow. It flies straight to the man's chest, making him fall from his horse and crumble on the ground in front of his men. Confusion spreads among them as they look around fearfully, trying to see where it came from, where the archer behind the shot is hiding, who it is.

They're still scrutinizing their surroundings when a wave of arrows flies in their direction, hitting several of them. Men's screams and shouts are heard and resonate through the forest when they start falling. The ones still standing draw their bows and swords, getting ready to fight against an enemy they  _still_  can't see, when another wave strikes them.

They start spreading and scattering in the woods, and that's when the Merry Men walk out from their hiding spots.

From her higher position, Regina watches her friends on the ground begin to fight, and she shoots arrow after arrow, not missing once, taking men down one by one until her two quivers are empty. It's only then that she climbs down the tree, landing on her feet and immediately using the arch of her bow to strike a soldier running towards her. She punches him on his chest when he straightens his spine and faces her again, her leg rising to hit the man in the head, knocking him out.

She draws her sword from its sheath, the blade colliding almost immediately with another guard's, and the fight is on. She attacks, parries, attacks again, avoiding the fallen corpses on the floor, jumping to the side when her assailant swirls his sword in front of her. She lifts her elbow and strikes him in his temple with the hilt, feeling his skull break under the impact.

Her blade runs through a man's chest as he's about to attack Nolan, the farmer in her team, from behind, and she then turns on her heels to block a blow from someone else, raising her foot to push at his chest, making him stumble back and using that moment to project him against a rock, the back of his head colliding with it. Regina doesn't even watch the dead body slide on the ground, looks up immediately.

She notices Dean is in difficulty, struggling against three soldiers. She grabs a dagger and flings it their direction, one receiving the blade in his shoulder, screaming in pain and releasing his weapons, unable to fight.

Regina joins her friend, gets rid of the injured soldier by removing the dagger and slicing his throat. But as she's turning her back on the others, she receives a strong blow to her back, stumbles forward but manages to stay upright, gritting her teeth in pain, fighting to get back her spirit, but she takes another punch to her right side before she can fully face her opponent. She hits the ground hard, forces herself to roll on her back immediately, opening her eyes to face a man standing over her, holding his sword, about to plunge it into her. Regina acts on an impulse. She folds and unfolds her legs with force, hits him in his crotch, rolls away immediately when he falls on his knees, his weapon landing where she was lying a couple of seconds ago. She doesn't have time to react before a blade pierces his back and chest.

When she looks up, she finds Dean removing his sword from the man's chest and holding his hand out for her, breathless.

"Are you alright?"

She nods, getting up quickly and glancing around, making sure no one attacks them while they're distracted, notices him doing the same.

"Yeah! Thank you!" Her gaze is drawn to her friend's abdomen, where there is a growing stain of blood on his shirt. "You're injured?" Her hand reaches for the wound, but he stops her by circling her wrist.

"I'm fine, it's nothing. There's still a lot of-"

He's cut off by Regina pulling at his arm and moving him out of the way, one of her daggers flying past the young man's head to strike the guard who attempted to attack him from behind.

The two Merry Men don't waste time. They straighten their spines, weapons ready, facing the dozen soldiers running towards them.

xxx

Women and children are gathered by the fire, the adults trying to keep everyone calm and more importantly, quiet. They have no idea of what is happening outside, besides the explosions they heard a while ago, meaning soldiers had been caught into more traps.

Fear is tangible, filling the thick atmosphere, weighing on everyone.

Helena has put Connor with the other toddlers, hoping that it would make him forget his father's and Regina's absence. It worked, has him focused on a wooden horse game with Ian, Gilbert's two year-old.

In the meantime, Henry holds Matthew against his side, rubbing his arm when he feels the young boy tense and tremble, twisting his fingers in anxiety.

"Do you want to read?" The man offers. "It could take your mind off of the situation."

Matthew looks up at him, staring for a moment, before shyly nodding. "Okay, grandpa."

"Where is your book?" Henry questions.

"I think Robin...  _my dad,_ " he corrects, unconsciously smiling as he pronounces the word, feeling calmer just at the thought of the family he finally found, "took it with him yesterday after we finished the chapter. It must be in his tent."

Henry gets up from the wooden log, holding his hand out for the boy. "Come with me! Let's go get it!"

They walk to the tent, entering it and looking around. Henry spots the book on top of the dresser, takes it and turns around to find Matthew crouching and retrieving something on the floor.

"I have your storybook," he informs. "What did you find?"

Matthew stands on his feet, observing the small object he holds between his thumb and forefinger.

"I don't know. It looks like a bean, but the color is weird. It's transparent."

Henry feels dread invade him as he realizes what the object his grandson is holding is. How important it is for Regina. How crucial it is to the plan of defeating Cora. He retrieves the magic bean slowly, shoves it in his pocket, making sure to close it so he won't lose the precious object.

"I have to give this to Regina." The old man states simply, dropping the book on the bed and rushing outside the tent, Matthew running behind him.

"But it's dangerous out there! Mom told us to stay here."

Henry walks over to the camp's entrance, no one noticing them as they have their back to them.

"Your mother needs this to win this war. Without it she's powerless."

Henry turns the paddle three times, watches as the door opens and glances behind, making sure no one has seen him.

"I'm coming with you, grandpa!"

"No, Matthew. Don't get out of the camp. I'm taking care of this."

The boy watches the man disappear behind the door, too stunned to react, but his instinct takes over. He walks to the tent where he sleeps with the other lost boys, grabs his bow, then takes a quiver full of arrows from the training field. He notices Ruth has raised from her spot around the fire and is now walking toward his parents' tent, probably looking for Henry and him. Matthew hides behind a tree, holds his breath, until an idea strikes him.

He looks ahead, and sees it. The emergency exit door. It's right in front of him, far enough that people won't see him go there, and it will allow him to follow his grandfather outside. He checks the camp one last time, making sure everyone is busy, before sprinting towards the door. It's the same mechanism as the main one, so he turns on the padlock the way Henry did minutes before, and gets out of the camp.

Clutching to his bow, he runs through the forest towards where he knows the old man went. He finally found a family who loves him, and he's not ready to lose it. Whether they want it or not, they'll get his help.

He's going to  _protect_  them.

xxx

Alan bends forward, picking a wild purple flower and lifting it to Zelena's eye level.

"A lovely flower for a lovely lady," he says simply, smiling.

Zelena blushes, pushes a strand of hair away from her face before taking the flower carefully, bringing it to her nose to smell its scent.

"Thank you. So… you think I'm lovely?" She questions shyly, looking at him sheepishly from underneath her lashes.

"I do," Alan admits. "I think you're  _beautiful_. And I like spending time with you, you're really good company."

"I enjoy spending time with you too. You're one of the few people who are really nice to me."

Alan's face grows serious, his brow furrowing. "Are some people giving you a hard time at the camp?"

"No!" Zelena hurries, shaking her head. "No, it's not like that. Just that a lot of them are still afraid of me. I can understand why, I'm not mad at them. I just feel alone sometimes, that's all." She confesses, looking down at her hands as she's fidgeting with the flower.

Alan's hand comes to cover hers, forcing her to look up at him. "During those moments, you can come to me," he assures kindly, warmly. "Even if I'm busy, you can stay around until I'm free. And if I'm available, I'll be happy to spend more time with you."

"I'd like that."

His hand has raised to Zelena's chin, holding it slightly as Alan gazes deeply into her blue eyes, leaning forward slowly enough that she has the opportunity to pull back if she wants to.

Zelena stares at him, guts twisting with anxiety, palms sweaty, breath short. What is currently happening is not coming from her dreams, it seems real, just as the shivers running down her spine every time she lays eyes on this man. She hasn't told anyone, not even her sister, because it's new, and foreign to her, a little awkward. Also, Alan is Regina's age, younger than she is by four years, and it feels odd.

However, she  _wants_  this, what is happening. She wants him to close the gap between them and kiss her. She wants to know how it feels. So she waits, doesn't move, doesn't push him away, her eyes slowly closing as she feels his breath caressing her face, their lips almost touching-

"Zelena!"

A high-pitched voice makes them both jump apart, as if they just got burned, their cheeks flushed with embarrassment. They look up to find Tinkerbell flying in front of them, clearly agitated and panicked.

"Tinkerbell? What are you doing here? What is it?" Alan questions, turning away from Zelena to face the fairy fully.

"The camp is being attacked."

Alan and Zelena both get up from the log they're sitting on. " _What_?"

"The Evil Queen has sent her men and Georges' to destroy it." The fairy explains. "They found the location of the camp, apparently she used her heart to track it. All the Merry Men are currently on the battlefield. The Blue Fairy is gathering my sisters so we'll go help. But in order to get rid of your mother, Regina needs you, Zelena. She has Cora's heart, but she won't succeed without your help."

It takes less than a second for Zelena to make the decision. When Alan and Tinkerbell open their eyes a second later, they're in the middle of the camp, not far from the armory.

But they don't have time to run to it.

"Thank God you're here!"

The three of them turn to meet a very frightened and breathless Ruth, agitation growing between the women behind her, although they try to keep it quiet enough not to scare the children.

"What happened?" Alan asks, causing Ruth to look at him.

"There were two explosions warning us about the traps being triggered. That's when Arthur saw the soldiers coming. Regina and Robin led everyone to defend the camp, and told us," Ruth waves her hand behind her towards the women and children, "to stay safe in here and to use the emergency exit if the camp were to be found."

"I'm going there!" The man answers immediately, already turning on his heels in his tent's direction, but he's stopped by Ruth's fingers closing over his forearm.

"Wait! There's something you two need to know first." She waits a heartbeat before admitting, glancing between both Zelena and Alan with apprehension. "Henry and Matthew are missing."

"What?" Zelena exclaims forcefully, fear seizing her. "How?"

"They were here maybe half an hour ago, and then Henry suggested they do some reading to keep Matthew busy. They were heading towards your sister's tent but we didn't see them come back. We searched the whole camp, they're not here."

"Damn it! My sister will be devastated if something happens to them."

"Can you try to look for them?" Ruth questions with hope.

Zelena nods firmly, glancing at Alan, who's as determined as she is.

"Yes." Addressing the young man, she adds, "Take your weapons. And then you find Matthew and Henry, get them to safety, while I go help my sister get rid of our mother."

"I'll meet you at the entrance in two minutes," Alan answers, already running towards his tent.

Zelena takes Ruth's hand in hers, assures her that she will do everything in her power to protect those on the battlefield.

xxx

The boy is running blindly ahead of him. He can hear the deafening sound of metal colliding, screams of pain and rage, leading his race. He knows his parents ordered him to stay at the camp, but his grandfather left, and he needs to be protected. Except that since the moment Matthew managed to sneak out, he hasn't seen the old man. But he keeps going, figures he will find him at some point, Henry can't be far.

Matthew slows down when he spots two men a little further in the forest, deep into a fight. He stops, hides behind a bush and observes them. He recognizes Eric, and Matthew is not an expert, but he thinks he sees signs of exhaustion on the man's face, his opponent slowly gaining ground. It's not a hard decision to make.

The boy reaches for an arrow, tucks it on his bow, and pulls on the string. He takes a slow, deep breath, focuses, remembers all the lessons with his mother, everything she told him,  _taught_  him, how she managed to give him more confidence than he thought he would ever possess. He doesn't even blink when he releases the string, letting the arrow fly and dig deep in the soldier's thigh, making him scream and fall on his knees.

Eric is startled, glances around with a puzzled look, but ends the man's life while he still has the chance.

It's only then that Matthew gets up from his hiding spot, revealing his presence to the Merry Man, who looks at him with astonishment.

"Matthew! What the hell are you doing here?"

Eric is by his side in five large steps, keeps looking around to make sure they're alone, grabs the boy by the shoulders and crouches in front of him.

"You were supposed to stay at the camp."

Matthew is shaken off his thoughts, the vision of the dead man, meets Eric's eyes and releases the breath he was holding.

"I know. But grandpa left. He said he had to bring something to my mom, and I wanted to help him, but now I can't find him anywhere."

"You shouldn't have followed him," Eric scolds, shaking his head, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "This is not a game, Matthew. It's dangerous for you to be here!"

The boy straightens his spine, answers boldly. "But grandpa doesn't know how to use a bow. I do! I can defend myself! I helped you!"

"Maybe, and I'm grateful that you did. But it's not your place to be here. And I can't bring you back to the camp now, someone could follow us..."

Eric takes a second to think, his head snapping up and to the side when he hears battle screams, looking back at the boy.

"You stay with me, alright?" Matthew nods. "But  _hide_! I know you want to help, but you won't."

"But-"

Eric cuts him immediately. "You stay hidden, Matthew. That's an order! I don't want you to fight, okay?"

" _Matthew_!"

The loud call startles both Eric and Matthew, who turn their heads to watch Alan running in their direction, stopping in front of them, breathless.

"Why did you leave the camp?" He asks the child.

"Apparently he followed Henry outside," Eric answers for him, getting up. "I don't know where the man is, I haven't seen him. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Tinkerbell warned us. Zelena transported us as close as possible to the battlefield before we separated. She went to help Regina, and I told her I would look for this young man," Alan answers, cupping Matthew's chin.

"We can't bring him back to the camp now, it's too dangerous to-"

"I know," Alan answers. "I had to deal with a couple of guards on my way here. But I don't think there were more who managed to get through our defense."

"Okay." Eric gets up, looks around. "We need to go help them, I already lost my group, they might need me," he says, nodding towards where the battlefield is. "Matthew, you find a good hiding spot and you stay there, understood?"

The boy's nod is sheepish, despite the affectionate hand Alan runs into his hair.

"We'll come looking for you when it's over," he assures.

xxx

"John!"

The large man swirls around to see Robin throwing him a sword, and he catches it while it's still mid air. He uses it immediately to hit his opponent in the chest with the hilt, and runs the blade through another man's abdomen, wincing when he feels the tiredness growing within him.

Robin ignores the blood flowing from the wound on his arm and thigh, the pain spreading through his body, the drops of sweat sliding from his forehead and blurring his vision.

He parries and attacks, jumps forward, then back, avoiding the tip of a soldier's blade. His foot crashes hardly enough into the man's knee he hears the bones break, watches the man fall in front of him and doesn't even hesitate before ending his life. When he turns on his heels, he notices that he, Colin, Little John and Gideon -a farmer around his thirties who turned to be a pretty good fighter- are still surrounded by guards, as if they kept coming in waves, so he takes a deep breath, tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword, and readies himself for the next fight. He starts running towards the line of soldiers arriving his way, but he doesn't have time to reach them.

Before Robin can understand what is happening, the dozen of soldiers are lifted from the ground and projected backward, landing on the ground, against trees, or on top of the next line of men. The man Colin was dealing with is knocked unconscious against a tree, Little John's opponent is sent ten feet away, and Gideon's ends up hitting his head against a rock, leaving the four men stunned and confused, staring at each other and around in question. It's only when they notice a long curly red-haired woman lowering her hand that they realize what just happened.

"Zelena!" Robin exclaims, hurrying to join her. "You're here!"

"Yes! Tinkerbell found us and told us what happened. We stopped by the camp to retrieve Alan's weapons," she catches herself before revealing the part about Matthew and Henry disappearing. Robin doesn't need to know his son and father-in-law are in danger, he has enough worries right now, and has to focus if he wants to survive and win. "Before coming here."

"Thank you for the help," Colin says, grateful, to which she answers with a nod and a small smile.

"Have you seen Regina yet?" Robin questions, but the woman shakes her head.

"No. I crossed paths with a few of your men, but she wasn't one of them."

"We have to find her!" Little John says. "If we want to stop Cora, she will need-"

He's cut off by a loud, sudden, buzzing sound coming from above them. They look up to the sky, not seeing anything yet. Ignoring what's coming, they get in position, ready for a new fight.

xxx

Regina runs her blade through her opponent, before looking up. It's with relief that she notices that Tuck, Nolan and Dean are still up on their feet and fighting. She takes a second, leans against the tree behind her, and breathes. Every part of her body is sore, from tiredness or the blows she received, every one of her movements is stirring her muscles and the cuts and bruises covering her skin. She's well aware that her exhaustion is not only related to the fight, but also to the child growing inside her. Regina struggles to keep her eyes open, to push herself up and forward, to face the next soldier threatening her, because if she doesn't, there will be no more rest to take. No more baby. No more life. She draws from her last strengths, listens to her instinct ordering her to fiercely protect her child, and starts the fight.

But this time, she can feel her energy leaving her with every passing second. She fights to stay focused, but she's slower, and her opponent notices, takes advantage of it and succeeds in cutting her a few more times, on her arm, her leg, her waist, until Regina's vision is blurred and her head's dizzy. She steps back and stumbles on a rock, unable to catch herself when she falls backward, her sword hitting the ground next to her as her head knocks against a root, sending a shock of pain through her skull and body.

But as hard as the collision has been, Regina still manages to hear her name being called frantically, forcing her to open her eyes. Her vision is fuzzy, but the voice urges her to get up, to be careful, so she shakes her head, wincing at the pain it triggers. When she looks up again, the soldier above her is about to stab her with his sword, but he doesn't have time to. A creature jumps at his throat, sending the man away from Regina while a strangled cry slips from his lips.

Startled, the young woman attempts to get up, only to be suddenly surrounded by animals.  _Wolves_ , she realizes, some waiting by her side, others jumping on her friends' adversaries, taking care of them with an effective series of bites, scaring the others off.

Too stunned to react, it takes her a moment to hear it.

An almost deafening buzzing comes from the sky, becoming louder by the second, startling everyone, guards and Merry Men, halting the battle as they all watch with concern the shining cloud flying in their direction.

A sparkling ray lands at the feet of the still remaining soldiers, vanishing in the air into powder, the men falling to the floor immediately, asleep.

_Fairy dust_ , Regina understands immediately, her conversation with the Blue Fairy days before coming back to her mind. The fairies came to help, and the young woman couldn't be more grateful.

She watches as the magical creatures fly past them and project their dust to every standing Black Knight they encounter, and releases a breath, closing her eyes without even realizing.

She feels a hand on her arm, and a brush over her fingers, meets Tuck's concerned gaze and the white wolf's red and black eyes.

"Are you okay?" Her friend questions, helping her up and steadying her when he feels her stagger.

She nods, swallows, exhales before answering, her hand stroking the wolf's head. "I think so. But we need to make sure all the soldiers are down before-"

A loud, sarcastic cackle is heard, resonating among the forest, startling Regina and making her and her companions stiffen, carefully glancing around, the older man tightening his hold on her in a protective way.

They step back when a cloud of blue smoke appears in front of them, each holding onto his weapon tightly, the wolves moving in front of them, discovering their teeth, threatening.

Cora faces them, wearing a silky black dress and a smirk, clapping her hands together, looking at them with disgust.

"Congratulation, my dear! This was a beautiful fight. Too bad you needed help to succeed, it would have been too much to ask you to do something on your own. Although, I have to thank you for bringing my heart to your camp, you led me straight to you, thanks to the location spell that was on it. It activated the second it was pulled out of my vault, but I only rendered it effective this morning, so your sister wouldn't notice it."

"That doesn't matter anymore. It's over, mother. We won!" Regina answers boldly, renewed energy spreading within her at the sight of the older woman, her resentment fully back.

"Really? You think defeating my army is enough to defeat  _me_? I'm still here, Regina!" Cora reminds. "And you're powerless against me."

One of the wolves immediately responds by jumping at Cora, clasping her hand between his teeth, earning a painful and raging growl in answer. The witch uses her other hand to send a blast of magic towards him, and the animal flies in the air, landing a little further, unconscious, as Cora waves a hand over her bleeding wrist, healing it instantly and looking at her daughter with disgust.

From his hiding spot behind a bush, a couple of feet to the side, Henry watches with horror his wife raising a hand, magic appearing in her palm, about to send it towards Regina, who's waiting, still, but her eyes are fixed upon her mother. He doesn't think twice, gets up and runs in front of his daughter, shielding her with his own body as the blast arrives on them. He feels himself being lifted from the ground, his body thrown across the woods, projected against a tree so hard Henry hears his own ribs break under the impact, followed by the violent pain of bones lacerating his lungs when he lands on the ground and it increases the severity of his injuries.

" _Daddy_!"

Regina runs to her father, met by Tuck immediately, helps the old man turn on his back, gasping at the blood slipping from his mouth when he attempts to breathe.

"Daddy, what are you doing here?" She questions, panicked, forgetting her mother for a second as she sees her father struggling to breathe.

Tuck's hands are on Henry's chest, examining him quickly, and Henry clasps his own hand with his daughter's, gripping it, and she returns the gesture. But when he takes it back, Regina feels a small object tucked in the crook of her palm. She opens her fingers to see the magic bean she thought she had taken, and stares at it in confusion.

"I found it-" Henry coughs, spitting out blood as he does, only increasing the dread filling his daughter, "in your tent." He finishes, his head falling to the side, his daughter supporting it.

"Daddy!" Regina calls loudly, shaking him. "Daddy, look at me! Don't leave me! Please!"

She glances up hopefully at Tuck, but the man shakes his head sadly, covering her hand kindly.

"Why?" She questions, sobbing, not even trying to hold back her tears, meeting her father's eyes as he fights to keep them open. "You didn't have to do that! You shouldn't-"

"I had to protect you."

"I'm surprised to see that you finally managed to do something brave in your life, Henry."

The cold and sarcastic voice makes Regina's sobs suddenly stop, her head snapping up to look at her mother defiantly despite the tears drowning her face, not releasing Henry's body, if so protectively shielding him with her arms.

"He has nothing to do with this!"

"Well, I wasn't targeting him, dear." Cora states matter-of-factly. "He stood in my way."

"He never did anything-"

"Oh my God!"

"Henry!"

They turn to see a group led by an astonished Zelena coming their way, Robin rushing to his wife and father-in-law, kneeling down.

"Ah, there you are!" Cora spits. "My other ungrateful child."

" _Ungrateful_?" Zelena questions. "When this is how you reward people, you can't blame us for running away from you."

"You never learned, either of you. All I ever did was-"

"Daddy!"

Regina's hopeless voice as she bends over Henry, who spits blood through his mouth and nose, cuts off her mother, and Cora rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Come on! You're going to stay here like a whiny girl, waiting for him to die? How pathetic, Regina! You're not the strong woman I thought I raised."

"Can't you at least give her a break, for  _five damn minutes_?" Zelena answers in place of her sister, anger piercing in her voice, a flow of magic more intense than usual leaving her palms and hitting her mother, projecting her to the ground.

Glancing between her father and the beginning of a fight happening in front of her, feeling Robin's hands on her shoulders, Regina glances down when she hears a new cough fit shake Henry's body.

She knows Zelena is giving her time to say goodbye.

"Hey!" She calls, swallowing down a sob. "I'm here! I'm here, daddy. Please, don't leave me!"

She's shushed by two soft fingertips pressing against her lips, her tearful eyes meeting her father's.

"For so long," Henry winces, his hand falling between him and his daughter. "I let your mother get in the way of who you really are. It was the biggest regret of my life." He attempts a weak smile, to which Regina barely answers. "But now... You're freeing yourself of her. I have no doubt that you will win. And I..." He coughs again, his hand closing into a fist on his chest as he whimpers in pain. "I've never been more proud, my beautiful child."

"Daddy, please!" Regina begs, holding him closer, Robin's grip tightening on her in support.

Her father looks at the man then, speaking becoming a struggle with each passing second.

"I'm trusting you with the most precious treasure I have, Robin. I raised her. Now her life..." Henry sighs painfully, "is yours."

Robin grips the older man's hand, clutching tightly to it. "Thank you, Henry, for that honor, and for believing in her like I do."

"And thank  _you_ , Robin, for being there when I- I couldn't... You take good care of her. And of Matthew... Tell him I couldn't have dreamt of a better grandson." Closing his eyes, turning his head slightly to the side, away from Regina, but she's quick to bend over him, her hand cupping his cheek and bringing his gaze over to hers.

"Daddy!"

"It's time for me to go, Regina."

"Daddy, no!"

"My time has come... You have everything…  _everyone_  you need. I'm at peace now. Just… let me go."

"But I need you."

Henry shakes his head once. "Not anymore… Fight… for your freedom. I love you, Regina..." He takes a deep breath, letting the words out in his last exhale. "Never forget... who you really are."

Regina's head falls onto her now dead father's chest, her shoulders shaking as she cries her distress, calling her father between sobs and sniffles. She leans against Robin when she feels him pull her to his chest, grips his jacket and clutches to it like a lifeline, not noticing the fight happening only feet from them. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, his arms encircling her and holding her close.

When she hears the sound of a body falling hard on the ground, and the painful whimper coming from a voice she recognizes immediately, she looks up, eyes filled with a new resolution, heart boiling over with anger.

Cora is stalking towards Zelena, who fell down, and their mother's hand is raising above her head, what is obviously a blast of magic creating in the crook of her palm.

And Regina cannot take it anymore.

This has to end.

Her father is the last casualty caused by her mother's hand. There is no way she's taking her sister too.

Or  _anyone_ else.

Cora is spitting words of hate, but Regina doesn't hear them.

Regina doesn't hear what's coming out of her mother's mouth.

All she sees is the hand lifting, the magic forming into the witch's palm, and it's too much.

The sensation she's been experiencing several times now, that started again the moment she saw the blood flowing past her father's lips, this sensation spreads through her whole body, and this time she lets it.

She gets up, leaving Henry's dead body with her husband, who looks at her, concerned, and takes determined steps towards her mother and sister. She doesn't fight the overwhelming feelings washing over her, the tingling at the tip of her fingers, the fast hammering of her heart in her chest. In the myriad of emotions, she picks one, the strongest, the  _purest_ , the one overcoming the others, the one directing her life, forgets about all the hatred, no matter how tempting, and she listens to her father's last words, lets her love for her friends and family guide her.

Zelena crawls back when Cora's hand rises above her head, mentally prepares herself to use magic when she understands the woman's intention, but she doesn't have time to act. Her mother is stricken by a flow of white light, too surprised to catch herself when her front collides with the ground, stunned but conscious.

Regina lowers her still shining hands and closes the distance between herself and her mother, determined, ignoring the dumbfounded and astonished looks of everyone around her, Tuck, Dean, Zelena, Robin, and the others who joined them.

" _Enough_!" Regina exclaims loudly, her voice still broken by the sobs that have subsided. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

Cora rises on her hands, craning her neck to look back at her younger daughter, her face bare of any emotion.

"You have magic," she breathes in stupor, standing on her feet and turning to face Regina, rubbing her hands together to get rid of the earth. "I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming."

"And yet, you played your fair part triggering it."

"Really?"

"Really," Regina answers calmly. "I've lost so many people because of you," She glances at her father lying still next to her husband, meets Robin and Little John's eyes. "You took my baby, my best friend, some of the closest people I have in life. But I gained so much too." She exchanges a look with her sister, before glaring at Cora again. "You thought you were destroying me, but you made me stronger. My heart is more resilient now than it has ever been."

Cora sneers, shaking her head and opening her arms.

"And how will your good heart help you beat me? You may have changed, Regina, but I know you. I'm fairly certain that you don't have the guts to kill me."

"Oh, but I don't plan to,  _mother_." Regina takes a step forward. "What I have in mind for you is way worse than death. I want you to know what it means to be powerless, to feel at the mercy of others. I want you to know what it is like to be alone, to have lost everything, to have what you always wanted taken away from you." Slowly, she steps back, putting some physical distance between them, making sure no one else is close enough to Cora. "Most of all, I refuse to let you ever lay another hand on the people I love."

Not noticing the way her daughter is clenching her fists, Cora shakes her head. "Come on, Regina! You know everything I've ever done was for you. I only wanted what was best for you."

But Regina won't have any of it. She made her decision, and she won't let Cora stab her in the back the second she has the chance.

"By creating a trap around your heart specifically meant to kill me?" Regina bites.

Cora ducks her head to the side nonchalantly. "One of my best creations, I must say. If you had listened to me in the first place, none of us would be here right now."

"If you had  _loved_  me to begin with, none of this would've happened!" Regina corrects. "Don't you see it, mother?  _You_  started it all. I may have fled a wedding to a King, but you decided to use me as a tool in your twisted dreams. You never considered the fact that  _I_  had an opinion, that I  _too_  had dreams."

"Foolish dreams, Regina."

"But they were  _mine_!" The young woman spits. "They  _are_  mine, and you won't take them away from me anymore."

Sensing the confrontation coming, Cora reacts first, projecting a magical wave towards her youngest daughter. This time, Regina doesn't wait. Her hands are held in front of her as a shield, the white light slipping from them and colliding with her mother's blue magic, the two forces struggling against each other.

For a moment, the women face each other, none backing down, and none gaining ground. Until a hand lands on Regina's arms, and she feels warmth spread inside her, fueling her magic as it becomes a mix of white and green.

Glancing quickly to her right, the brunette gives her sister a firm nod, a small smile, and voluntarily increases the level of magic, especially now that the combination of her powers with Zelena's makes their use easier.

Cora digs into her strengths, sends more magic towards her daughters, her face twisted with hate and anger, revenge too. She gains some ground for a few seconds, but it doesn't last long, isn't enough against the two young women, their force increased by their communion, their connection.

Zelena slides her hand along her sister's arm until she links their fingers, clasping their hands together, feeling Regina tighten her grip on her, and instantly the magic flowing from them triples, getting rid of Cora's shield and breaking it into millions of pieces that vanish in the air.

Before her mother realizes, Regina is facing her, the beating organ secured in her hand, and she doesn't even think twice before pushing it inside Cora's chest. She had no idea it was something in her power, but the second she took the heart out of the bag, her instinct led her.

The sorceress is taken aback for a moment, still standing, but if Regina and Zelena are being honest, fear and something that resembles consciousness flash in her eyes. As if suddenly, with the presence of her heart back in her chest, Cora became aware of everything. But they don't buy it.

"What have I done?"

"After all the pain you caused, do not keep pretending you feel even an ounce of love for us," Regina says flatly, stepping back.

"Or that you regret the way you treated us," Zelena adds.

Cora takes a step forward, careful, a hand over her chest. "I- What I did… Just because I disapproved your choices, it doesn't mean I don't love you."

Regina stops herself from rolling her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You went too far. There's no redemption for you anymore. We can't forgive you."

"Regina! Listen to me!" Looking her square in the eyes, Cora speaks in a voice which, for the first time in a very,  _very_  long time, carries a resemblance of honesty. "I  _do_ love you. I'm your mother!" And then, in a whisper. "You would have been enough. Both of you. I'm sorry."

Regina watches her with blank eyes, her voice low and steady, so cold it makes Robin shiver.

"It's too late."

The young woman doesn't hesitate, and throws the bean at Cora's feet. The magical vortex opens the moment the bean touches the floor, swallowing down the ground and creating a strong wind pulling everything inside.

A look of utter dread appears on the Queen's face when she understands what is happening, but before she can react, she falls on the floor, and is sliding inside the vortex.

"What are you doing?" She screams, catching a large tree root, clutching to it tightly in a vain attempt to fight the force dragging her down.

"Giving you what you deserve," Regina answers, staring at her mother and taking a step back, putting some distance between them to stay away from the dangerous area. She glances at Zelena, who seems more conflicted about this (after all, she acknowledged Regina's plan when her sister explained it to her, but never really voiced her opinion about it), almost hesitant. But when the redhead meets Regina's eyes, she nods, making her understand that she's accepting this.

"Goodbye, mother."

"No!" Cora exclaims. "I'm not going there alone." She casts a hand forward, blindly aiming at her daughters, with the clear intention of taking them with her. Regina stares at Cora without moving, unable to react, too shocked by the fact that this is it, she is finally getting rid of her, that he doesn't see the magical force coming her way.

But her sister does.

And she reacts instinctively.

Zelena immediately pushes her sister, shields her with her own body, but she gets trapped in the process, the magical rope wrapping around her wrist. She feels herself dragged backward and towards the portal, the one that swallowed down Cora a second before, when she lost her grip on the root by sending her last spell.

" _No_!"

Regina is startled, finally reacts when Zelena steps in front of her, sees the young woman being pulled away, so she attempts to catch her, jumps forward. Arms close around her waist, Tuck holding her back, preventing her from falling into the hole too. Regina fights him, screams her sister's name, watches her desperately trying to hold onto the ground, but she's powerless to help.

Zelena digs her fingers into the soil under her palms, but the force pulling her down is too strong, and even if it comes only from the portal now that her mother is gone and her magic has disappeared, she can feel herself slide slowly inside the magical gap.

Robin doesn't even think, rushes to grab Zelena's hand just in time, begins to pull her out of the hole, stirring his already exhausted muscles. He succeeds, manages to bring her out from a few inches, but a sudden increasing strength in the vortex makes him fall forward, not releasing Zelena but going down with her.

" _Robin_!" Regina screams in panic, trying to get out of Tuck's firm grip, but the man holds her tight, attempts to reason with her even though he knows it's pointless.

"Let me go." Zelena says, defeated, looking at her brother-in-law. "She needs you more than she needs me."

"Not a chance!" He replies, struggling against the pull. "You're family, you're staying here."

"She can't lose you," Zelena reminds, feeling herself being swallowed by the vortex, closing her eyes in anticipation, trying to remove her hand's from Robin's as she gives up, accepts her fate, the loss of the first and only real family she ever knew.

She sees the images of the short, but tremendously enjoyable time she spent with her sister, with Alan, with Matthew. She feels warmth invade her as she remembers the first hug Regina gave her, how soothing it had been, how good and being cared for it made her feel.

She doesn't want to give that up. She refuses to. But she has to see the truth. She's stuck, can't use her magic without losing her focus and grip on Robin and the ground. She -she can say it now-  _loves_  her sister, of that she's certain. She loves her, but she also knows how much Regina loves her husband. Zelena remembers how devastated she was when she almost lost him, both times. She remembers true love's kiss, the eternal and purest proof of what Robin and Regina feel for each other. She can't be selfish and rip that away from her sister.

If there's something she learned from the little time she spent with Regina, it's that when you love someone, you do everything you can to keep them safe and happy. So that's exactly what she's going to do, even if it means that her own life will be miserable and lonely. Somehow, it'd only be going back to what she's always known. That's how she knows she will survive, no matter what happens to her.

Zelena snaps her eyes open when a sudden wave of strength startles her, and she feels herself being pulled outside the hole, the vortex's grip on her slowly decreasing. She looks behind Robin, and notices that two men, Dean and Little John, are apparently trying to get them out.

And it works.

In a handful of seconds, she's sprawled on the floor, breathless, full of dirt and soil, but safe in the Enchanted Forest, the portal closing the second there is nothing standing in its way.

It takes Zelena a moment to come back to her senses, to allow herself to breathe, to acknowledge what just happened, to realize she's still home. Slowly, she rises from the ground, but is shaken by her sister jumping in her arms. Without hesitation, she answers the hug immediately, closing her eyes and breathing in relief.

"Thank God you're safe," Regina murmurs in her hair. "I was so scared of losing you."

Zelena adjusts her hold on her sister when she feels her grip tightening, a hand coming to rub Regina's back and head, reassuring, soothing, especially when she opens her eyes and faces the cloak covering Henry's body in the background. Her heart squeezes when she remembers the moment she arrived to find him agonizing in his daughter's arms, how thoughtless Cora was regarding his death. The decision to step in and allow her sister to spend her father's last moments with him, even if it meant fighting her mother and receiving blow after blow, was an easy one.

She just wishes she could've done more, but after what her attempt at healing Robin led to, she knows her magic isn't made to save lives. Her father was right. She  _is_ wicked. But maybe, thanks to Regina, she can make something good out of her powers.

Zelena pulls back, feels Regina slightly lose her balance, so her hand comes to steady her.

"You alright?" She questions with concern.

"Yeah," Regina dismisses. "Exhausted, that's all."

The brunette accepts her husband's embrace willingly when he winds his arms around her shoulders, allowing her to lean against his chest, her head finding the crook of his neck.

"Thank you, Robin," Zelena says. "Without you, I would've given up."

"Now that you're stuck with us, remember that giving up is just not something that we do. Our family is worth fighting for."

Smiling shyly, she answers, "Definitely."

"Regina, Robin!"

Regina lifts her head from her husband's chest, meets Zelena's glistening but urgent eyes as she has caught sight of what Little John is warning them about, the redhead tilting her chin behind them to show a group of Merry Men arriving, a small figure distinct despite the thin fog surrounding them.

"Matthew," John breathes, so no one else hears him.

Regina and Robin's eyes open wide in shock, the young woman pulling back to look at her husband with confusion, wiping her cheeks quickly with the back of her hands, sniffling a couple of times, trying to hide the remnants of what just happened, the loss of her father and mother. Robin presses a kiss to her forehead, and then they are moving towards the boy, after asking Little John to shield Henry's body completely with some of their friends so the boy won't see him.

"Mom! Dad!"

Matthew starts running towards them the moment he sees the couple, crashing against Regina and almost making her fall back, if it wasn't for Robin's hand coming between her shoulder blades and holding her upright.

The brunette wraps her arms around his shoulders, exchanging a puzzled look with her husband, observing Alan and Eric coming their way, followed by a few Merry Men and villagers.

"He sneaked out of the camp," Eric explains briefly, wincing and his breath short, but the next sentence makes Regina forget about it. "He wanted to help."

" _What_?"

Regina looks down at her son, pulling back slightly and giving him a look. "You did what?" In front of his sheepish silence, she adds, anguish piercing in her voice. "Do you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in, Matthew? What could have happened to you?"

"I'm sorry," the boy murmurs, lowering his gaze.

"I hope so!" Regina resumes, her tone strong and scolding, desperation written all over her face. "We could have lost you! Can you even imagine what your father and I would've felt if we had? God, Matthew! Why did you do something so stupid?"

"I wanted to protect grandpa," he admits with a shrug, and Regina feels dread and realization settle in her. She freezes, looks at Robin, who's frowning deeply. "He wanted to bring you something he found in your tent, he said it was important. He asked me to stay behind, but he doesn't know how to fight, and I have my bow!" The boy admits proudly. "But," He looks down again, his brow furrowing. "when I managed to get out of the camp, I couldn't find him." His voice is full of hope when he questions. "Have you seen him?"

There's a deep silence, everyone but Matthew having noticed the dead body, no one knowing what to do, Regina and Robin glancing at each other, hesitant as to how to proceed.

It's Robin who moves to the side, crouches in front of his son, turning him away from the vision of the dead man, taking Matthew's smaller hands in his when Regina's fingers close over the boy's shoulder.

"Matthew," Robin begins. "Henry, your grandfather... He..." He takes a deep breath. "He didn't make it. He got hit and-"

"No!" Matthew argues, trying to step back, his father holding him tight. "No! I was supposed to protect him! If I had-"

"Listen to me!" Robin cuts him. " _Matthew_!" He insists when the boy keeps struggling against him. "You did nothing wrong! You couldn't have saved him."

"But-"

"No buts!" The man says kindly, thumbs rubbing the back of his hands. "It's not your fault, do you hear me? It is  _not_  your fault! I promise. Your grandfather helped us! He was a hero."

Matthew bursts into tears, doesn't resist the moment when Robin pulls him into his arms, the man looking up at his wife to see her holding back tears, her hand weaving into the boy's hair soothingly.

Robin holds his son for a moment, trying to shush him, appease his pain, but then the reality of what they have to do is coming back to him. He notices his friends, silently waiting with a sad smile, some holding their swords under the chin of the few guards awakening from fairy dust. He realizes that daylight is decreasing, the day coming to an end. And there's still so much to do… So he pulls back from Matthew, thumb wiping the boy's cheeks even though he's still leaking tears and sobbing.

Regina motions for her sister to join them, the woman stepping away from Alan's arms, before addressing the child gently, cupping his chin. "Zelena is going to bring you back to the camp, alright? We have things to do before coming back. In the meantime, I want you to be nice and listen to her. We'll join you as soon as we're done here."

Matthew shakes his head. "I don't want to leave you! What if something else happens and I lose you too? What if I-"

Regina brings a finger to his lips, shushing him, her tone calm but firm. "Nothing will happen to us, honey. We'll be fine, I promise. Wait for us at the camp, please!"

Zelena gets his attention by holding her hand in front of him, making Matthew turn his head to the side to look at her, and he glances back at his parents, but relents, takes his aunt's hand and lets her magically transport him to the camp.

Looking around, her hand finding Robin's and clutching there, Regina sees the remaining of their friends joining them slowly, some more injured than others, but all exhausted, sore, struggling to stay up. She watches as the wolves regroup, their behaviors calm now that everything is over. And then, two figures arrive from the sky, shining ones, one of them growing human size without even asking for permission.

"Tinkerbell!" Regina greets with a smile, unable to help hugging the fairy, who returns it willingly. "Blue," She turns to the other fairy when she pulls back. "You came to help."

"I promised you we would," Blue reminds.

"I know. It's just, we've all been caught off guard. I don't even know how  _they,_ " the young woman waves her hand towards the wolves, the white one staring at her and coming closer, before she continues, "knew we needed help."

"He felt it, Regina," Tinkerbell says with a smile. "The huntsman's wolf got attached to you. He's been watching over you since your friend died."

Feeling fur under her fingertips, the brunette casts her gaze down, smiling at the red and dark eyes staring at her. She scratches the top of his head for a short time -he always shakes the hand off after a few seconds, so she learned to pull back before he does- before crouching in front of him to be at eye-level.

"Thank you. I'm more than grateful for your help. We are taking it from here; you and your friends can leave if you want."

Regina can swear she sees the wolf nods, before he turns his back on her and begins to walk away, the other wolves following suit.

"Regina?"

She turns to meet Robin's tired eyes, instinctively cups his cheek as he begins to speak for everyone.

"We have to bring our dead and injured men to the camp before nightfall, and find a way to send all the soldiers away from here. They are too close to the camp, if they remember..."

"I can erase their memory of the its location," Blue declares. "But keep the knowledge of the Queen's disappearance and failure. But I don't have the power to transport so many men away."

"Maybe Zelena is able to, and I can try to help too," Regina offers.

Blue nods. "Now, with Cora gone, and since Georges has lost his army but hasn't been defeated directly, Snow White has to make an appearance at her castle as soon as possible if we don't want him to try to take her throne. We don't have much time."

"Burying the victims is more important," Little John reasons. "I know she needs to go back, but honoring those who helped us in our victory is the least we can do. They gave their lives so she could take back her place as princess and rightful Queen. They were our friends, our family."

"Of course," Blue agrees with a smile that seems slightly forced. "While you gather your losses, I'll take care of the soldiers' memories."

Besides those tying up the awaking guards, the remaining Merry Men and fighters spread towards where they know their fallen friends are, and this time Regina stays with Robin. They don't speak, but up until the moment they kneel in front of Henry's body, their hands are linked.

Regina helps Little John and Tuck adjust the body on her husband's shoulder, and the three men take turns carrying it back to the camp, alternating every time the carrier falters, Regina always being careful not to let her father hardly fall on the ground.

They lie him down in a secluded part of the camp next to a farmer whose name was Vince and who had lost his entire family to the Black Knights. It's a spot where the women have sprawled covers to welcome the fallen, away from the children's sight, who are all gathered inside tents and cabins for the time being.

* * *

_Present_

_Regina takes a deep breath, looking down._

" _We lost twenty-one men, my father included. Among them, nine Merry Men. We brought them all back. Zelena left the camp to work with Blue and Tinkerbell on the soldiers. I offered my help, even if I didn't really know what to do, but my sister urged me to go take care of my boys and get some rest instead. So I let the women at the camp take care of my injuries, ate some of the soup they had quickly cooked after the battle, and during that time Matthew never left my side. He was curled up against me, gripping my arm as if I was going to vanish, and he tried to hide it, but I knew he was holding back his tears._

_At the same time, another group was starting to get the dead ready for the funerals._

_Everyone agreed that it could wait until the next day. The night had fallen, and we were all so exhausted we could barely stand up. When Connor tried to jump into my arms, I almost let him fall because I didn't have the strength to carry him. So Helena ordered me to take care of myself and go to bed, claimed that I was of no use to anyone in that state._

_Anyway, with Matthew completely upset by my father's death, and my own grief, lying down with my son sounded like the best thing to do. So while Robin was being checked up, I led Matthew inside my tent, and let him cry in my arms..."_

* * *

Three hours later

She's startled by the ruffle of the tent's opening, opens her eyes tiredly to see Robin wipe his face with his hand, clearly worn out.

"Hey," Regina calls softly, glancing down at the boy sound asleep on her chest to make sure she hasn't woken him up. "Come here, get some rest."

Robin tries a weak smile, and nods, whispering as he removes his clothes full of blood, sweat and dirt, washing his face and hands with fresh water from the large bowl Regina brought inside for that purpose, since going to the river at this hour wasn't an option. He changes into something more comfortable, less reminiscent of the fight that just occurred, but the several bandages covering his skin are enough of a reminder of his injuries.

"Did I wake you?"

Regina shrugs the shoulder Matthew is not sleeping on. "That's okay. I'm so exhausted it won't take me long to fall back asleep."

Robin crawls in bed next to her, their son between them. He brings a hand to weave into his hair tenderly, bending over him to watch his face painted with the last of his tears.

"How was he?"

He looks up at his wife with questioning eyes.

"Agitated." Regina replies. "Lost. Angry. He thinks it's his fault."

Robin acknowledges the answer with a nod, his next question full of dread. "And how are  _you_?"

She locks their gazes for a moment, holding her breath, thinking. Her fingers wave with Robin's and rest over Matthew's shoulder.

"I don't know," she replies honestly. "I'm not sure. I think I need some sleep before I can think clearly."

"Wise words," Robin agrees.

Less than five minutes later, they have joined Matthew into the depth of slumber.


	28. The most resilient heart : Chapter 20

Four and a half months earlier

Seven hours after Regina and Robin fell asleep

She runs towards his cabin, stumbles on the way, almost falls, catches herself on the doorknob, and looks up with terrified eyes.

" _Eric_!" Regina breathes with incredulity. "What happened?"

Vanda brings a hand to her shoulder, squeezing slightly when Regina kneels down next to the bed where her friend lies. His breath is short and, if the winces on Eric's face with each inhalation are any indication, he's in pain. His face is pale, eyes closed, lips pursed, small whimpers escaping from him regularly.

Tuck informed her and Robin a couple of minutes ago, said the man was asking after Regina, and she didn't even think twice, raced across the camp to answer his call, not even waiting for her husband and friend.

"He was badly injured during the fight, but he didn't tell us right away, he was one of the last ones to be treated. We only realized when he crumbled to the ground in front of us."

"Why didn't he say anything?" She turns to her friend, shakes him gently. "Why, Eric? Why did you hide it from us?"

The man opens his eyes to look at her, but his gaze is already the one of a dead man. But Eric  _is_   _Eric_ , even in his last moments, so he tries a small smile, moves his hand towards Regina, and she takes it immediately between hers.

"Hey…"

"Hey." She frees one of her hands, strokes his forehead kindly. "What did you do to find yourself in this situation?"

"M… job," he whispers tiredly, his strength leaving him.

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but I think he was injured while trying to defend Matthew," A voice declares, making Regina jump and turn around to face Alan, who walks slowly towards her and crouches by her side. She catches sight of Robin entering the room, of his stunned face, but listens to her friend while her husband joins them. "A soldier found your son in the bushes where he was hiding, and Eric saw them, stepped in the way. I was too caught up in my own fight to see anything else, but I remember thinking he was slower after that, even though he claimed he was perfectly fine."

Regina shakes her head, sighing, Robin's hands finding her waist while he presses himself against her back, looking at Eric from over her shoulders.

"I always knew you were one of our most loyal friends," her husband says. "You proved it again today. You saved our son."

"You risked your life for him," Regina adds. She closes her eyes, murmurs painfully. "I don't want you to die. I don't want to lose you too."

"T… 's okay, Reg… ina." Eric breathes. "I'm… kay… worth it."

"But you don't deserve to die. Maybe if I ask Zelena, she could-"

"Regina-" He cuts her, but she keeps rambling, doesn't hear him.

"Or myself. I don't have much experience with magic, but I managed to use it against my mother. I could try-"

"Regina," Eric cuts her again, firmly this time. "Too... lat..." He takes a breath, drops of sweat pearling on his forehead. "No… guilt... No… re- regret…"

He stops then, winces, closes his eyes, his lips paler than they were when they entered the cabin a few minutes ago.

Tuck enters the place, followed by Little John and a few other Merry Men. The man of faith makes his way to the bed, sits at the edge, pressing the cold wet towel he holds in his hands against Eric's forehead.

"Is there something you can do?" Regina almost begs, although she knows the truth, can see it for herself.

"He lost too much blood. His wound is too deep, even if I could close it, he's too far gone. He can't come back."

Casting her gaze down, Regina acknowledges his answer, bends over Eric whose eyes are half-closed now as he appears to be slowly drifting towards the other world. She removes the cloth, presses her lips to his forehead, murmuring in the small space between them.

"Thank you, for everything. I love you, Eric." She inhales deeply, can't prevent her tears from falling.

"Stay…" She hears. When she lends an ear, the words are distinct. "Stay with me."

"I'm here," Regina assures, squeezing his hand. "We're all here. You're not alone. You can let go now."

She keeps her forehead stuck to his, holding his face and his hand, inhaling and exhaling with him, at his rhythm, feeling his weak breath over her face.

Until it stops.

It takes Regina a few seconds to realize, but the moment she does, she breaks into tears. Hot, heavy sobs are shaking her body, and she clutches to her friend for a moment, before falling backwards, landing in Robin's arms as he gathers her against him, this time not holding back either. They cry together. Another loved one, another sacrifice to that war, another death, another friend. They hear the same reaction among the other men in the room, although it's not as free, they're not letting everything out, but Eric was more than appreciated, and his loss is touching them all to the core.

Slowly, one by one, they exit the cabin, until there's only Tuck, Alan, Regina and Robin. It's silent again, the sobs having subsided, thickness in the air. With great difficulty, as if the sleep she got during the night was gone, Regina pulls away from Robin, pushes herself up with the bed's help, barely standing on her feet.

Her voice is raspy and broken when she declares, "I'm taking care of him. I have to get my father ready for the ceremony; I'll do the same for Eric."

There's no objection among the men, arguing would be pointless, and it is her prerogative. Regina asked the women to leave Henry to her care, and Eric was one of her closest friends. But he wasn't only hers, so Alan requests gently, "Regina, I'd like to help, if you don't mind."

Regina gives him a small nod, attempts a weak but affectionate smile despite the tiredness of her features, sends her hand forward to squeeze his. "Of course. We'll do it together."

Robin's hand is on her shoulder, and when she turns to look at him, she notices his eyes are shining a dull blue, one that speaks of all the pain he's feeling right now.

"Matthew is outside with Zelena. He woke up when you exited the tent, and he's waiting for news."

Regina sighs, acknowledges his answer with a nod, breathes in slowly. "I can tell him if you need a minute."

He shakes his head. "I think he's gonna need the two of us. He still hasn't accepted his grandfather's death, and he really loved Eric."

"Alright."

She takes his hand, feeling his grip tightening over her fingers instantly.

"We're going to bring Eric with the others." Tuck says softly. "Go take care of your son, we'll let you know when you can begin the preparation."

"Thank you, Tuck."

The moment Regina and Robin exit the cabin, they spot their son snuggled in Zelena's arms a little bit further, and meet Ruth's questioning gaze from where she's staying with Granny, Ruby and Snow White. The older women look up at them too when they realize they're out, but Regina shakes her head, makes them understand that Eric didn't make it.

She can read the sadness of their faces from where she stands with Robin, the way Ruth covers her eyes with her hands to hide her feelings –Eric was one of those who went to check on her regularly when Regina couldn't, but she doesn't have time to linger on it.

Matthew is up to his feet, moving away from Zelena who starts following him in their direction.

"Mom?" He asks shakily, voice strangled with sobs.

Regina cups his cheek, smiles sadly while moving down to her knees.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. He-"

" _No!_ " Matthew gasps. "No! Not Eric! He knew how to fight! He was one of the best, I heard you say it several times. Grandpa died because he wasn't a fighter, but Eric-"

"It doesn't work this way, Matthew," Robin cuts him gently, drawing his gaze to him.

"But-"

"No buts, my son. Your grandfather didn't die because he didn't know archery or sword fighting. He died to protect the ones he loved. He was a  _hero_ , saved our lives." Cupping the child's cheek, he explains. "Learning how to fight helps, but it doesn't mean that nothing can happen to you. The important thing to learn from this situation, is that whether it is Eric or your grandfather, they  _both_  died as  _heroes_. Being a good fighter isn't what matters the most. Being a good person is. Doing the right thing, helping those in need. And  _they did_. They were  _good_  people. They were good people who loved you very much, and whom you loved too. That's what you have to remember, Matthew. When you think of them, I want you to remember of how important they were to you."

Tears start streaming down Matthew's face, brow furrowed, trying to understand the implication behind his father's words.

"I already miss them," he admits on a sob.

Regina reacts immediately, pulls the boy to her chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, cupping the back of his head and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"I know, sweetheart. We miss them too." She moves closer when she feels her son shiver and seek contact. "It's okay, Matthew. I know it doesn't feel that way, but you're gonna be okay. We've got you."

Regina cuddles and soothes her son's cries, rocking him back and forth a little, weaving her hand through his hair, kissing his temple, his forehead, his head, tightening her hold when she feels Matthew clutch to her.

She looks up to her husband and sister, pain written all over her face, and she can see in their eyes the compassion and support she needs. And through her distress and her son's tears, she manages a small smile, one that reveals her gratefulness for the family she still has.

She lost her parents, another one of her friends, but she has a loving husband, a wonderful son, and a caring sister. Not counting her loyal and faithful friends. She's not alone, and Matthew isn't either.

So she pulls back, tucks her fingers under his chin, lifting his head up.

"Look around you, sweetie. Look at how lucky you are. You're not alone. You are never gonna be alone, ever again. You have us, and we got you. We are your family. Nothing is more important than that."

He nods, accepts his father's hug, his aunt's hand tenderly cupping and brushing his cheek, wiping the tears away.

And when Matthew pulls back from Robin's arms and glances at his family, a smile manages to make its way through his pain.

* * *

_Present_

" _We buried everyone in a large meadow, an isolated place of the forest, one that was too far to be visited by pillars and thieves. All the fallen who weren't Merry Men were put underground there too, for the simple reason that their famil_ _ies_ _, having lost everything, decided to stay at the camp._

_As for me... I was... in pain. I had lost my mother, my father, one of my closest friends, several members of the camp. I wasn't close_ _to_ _every Merry Men, I didn't know every person who died that day, especially among the villagers, but they were victims, fathers, brothers, sons. It was a lot to take in, to deal with, even more when_ _I knew I was the reason for the start of a war that resulted in so many casualties._ But _, I had people counting on me this time. I was aware that Robin had lost friends too and was grieving. I knew that at some point, I would lose my mother, that there would be other victims among the Merry Men, beside Rowan. My dad was the hardest death to accept, because I wasn't expecting it. But mostly, what forced me to go on, were my boys. Matthew and Connor. Despite the several talks we had with him, the_ _former_ _was devastated, it took Robin and I a lot of time to help him accept_ _both_ _my father_ _'s_ _and Eric's deaths. The_ _latter_ _was oblivious of everything, and wanted me to spend a lot of time playing with him. So I focused on the children, and it helped me overcome the losses, regardless of how much I_ _missed_ _them every second of the day."_

* * *

A couple of hours after the funerals

The meal is over, and women are cleaning up everything. Regina begins to rise from her seat, but Granny retrieves her plate, stops her holding out her hand.

"Rest. Stay with your family. We'll take care of everything."

So, after answering with a tired, though grateful smile, she leans against Robin's chest, gathers Matthew in her arms, hand pressed against his forehead and mechanically but tenderly brushing the hair away. Despite the earlier words they had with him, assisting the funerals brought his suffering back to the surface, and he's been silent since, watery eyes staring at his food, distractedly playing with his fork, eating without much appetite whenever his parents were reminding him to.

But before Regina has fully settled in her husband's warm and safe embrace, a high-pitched voice calls for them from behind.

They turn around to face a shy but smiling Connor.

"Gina, can I have a story?"

The request is innocent, and the child's blue eyes and soft gaze are getting to them, making Robin and Regina melt, the young woman inviting him closer.

She keeps Matthew in her arms –Connor has to learn to share her with the older boy, but the toddler doesn't seem to mind as he spontaneously climbs on Robin's lap, clapping his hands together happily, grinning.

"You want to listen to the story too, Matthew?" Regina offers, murmuring in his hear.

The boy nods wordlessly, moving on the other side of the bench so he and Regina are facing Robin and Connor.

"So," Robin begins. "What kind of story do you guys want to hear?"

And as he and his wife are taking turns in creating a tale, Connor's enthusiasm, along with the peacefulness and privacy of the moment they're sharing, ends up bringing a smile to everyone's faces.

xxx

The next day

"We need to go to the castle soon," Alan informs. "I heard that Georges has been more than unhappy with the result of the battle and Cora's defeat. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a move in the next few days."

"What do you think, Princess?"

Snow White looks up when Little John calls her name, unsure as to what to answer. She's been for the most part discreet and silent since the war ended, has given Regina and the Merry Men space, time to grieve and recover from the losses. But now it's time to come back to reality, to the ordeals they still have to face, to the ground they need to win back. The path towards a full victory is almost coming to an end, but there's still a lot to do before reaching it.

"I- I don't know. I guess I have to go back."

"We need a ruler, Snow. We need someone to stand up to Georges," Ruth says softly.

"And you can be that person. You  _are_." David assures, taking the girl's hand, linking their fingers, smiling. "I believe in you."

"I believe in you too," Johanna adds.

"So do I." A voice speaks among the reunited Merry Men.

Suddenly, shyer and more hesitant than she's ever been, Snow White confesses in a low and trembling voice, head down, staring at her foot drawing circles in the ground.

"I'm not sure how to be a Queen. I never had to make any decision when father was here. And now, I've spent so much time away…"

"You'll learn, Snow," Regina steps in. "Just like you learned how to live in a farm or in the forest. A ruler isn't alone. You'll have counselors, people to guide you, to support you in your decisions. You'll have friends." She glances towards Johanna, David and Ruth, then back at the girl. "You'll have  _us_." She assures."Even if we live in a different place, you can always count on us. It might seem scary, but David is right. You  _are_  the rightful Queen. You'll do great."

The Princess blushes, shrugs, lets out a small  _thank you_  followed by an  _I hope so_  to which David answers with a reassuring squeeze of her hand.

"So, when are we leaving?" Granny questions with energy. "When are we going to kick that bastard in the teeth once and for all?"

"Granny!" Regina scolds, unwilling to let the two teenagers think that this is a proper way to speak.

"I'm sorry, Regina, but I'm tired of seeing him get away with all the horrors he's done. He needs to pay once and for all."

"I agree," Robin answers in place of his wife. "But we can't rush it. We'll move to Snow's castle first, settle there so Georges and everyone understands that the Princess is back and ready to climb to her throne. That the ones who survived and were members of Leopold's court are free to come back safely. And then," he looks over at the group, lingers on his wife, determination written on his eyes. "We should make all those who took part in this blood bath pay."

"How are you planning to do this?" The Blue Fairy asks, Tinkerbell flying beside her. Considering their involvement in the war, the two are taking part to most of the conversations related to it.

"Snow?" Robin asks. "You're going to rule and decide. What would you suggest we do?"

Once again, the Princess is silent, looking for an answer to give, as if anything she'll suggest will make her fail some kind of test.

"You know the answer, Snow," Regina breathes. "Just search inside you. Don't overthink this. You have to trust yourself."

The Princess grips David's fingers tighter, inhales, then exhales slowly. Before looking up resolutely.

"A trial."

A smile breaks Regina's face, Robin nodding in approval, so the Princess breathes, as if she had just passed a test.

"That seems to be the fairest way of handling this," Ruth declares.

Alan agrees. "Yes. We'll find them, Georges and all of Cora's supporters, and we'll bring them to you."

"May I suggest…" Everyone turns towards Tinkerbell, who moves closer, careful. "Since you never had to make such decisions by yourself first, Your Majesty, that you'd hire someone whose job is to convict and sentence? A judge, maybe? One who hasn't been perverted by the Evil Queen and Georges' gold?"

"Someone who could guide you during your first steps as Queen. Most of the trials are presided by judges, people whose lives are dedicated to justice, but you'll have your fair share of trials to preside. It's better if you learn from them first."

"That's an excellent idea!" Snow exclaims enthusiastically, before frowning deeply. "But I don't know any judges."

"I do." Alan declares. "I met one when I found Jonas, he supported me when I took the defense of the boy and forced the slave trader to let him go. We've seen each other a few times since then, whenever friends were in need of help, victims of George's tyranny mostly. I'm sure he'll agree to help, he shares our beliefs."

"That's perfect!" Robin nods. "Alan, go to him, explain the situation, tell him we have to leave soon and we need an answer today. He can join us later if he wants, time for us to catch the criminals, but if he's not in for the job we need to find someone else. We cannot afford to lose more time, we need to act quickly and leave as soon as possible."

Alan gets up, grabs his bag. "I'm going now, I'll try to come back before lunch."

"Meanwhile, we'll finish thinking of the details of this," Robin informs. "So we can be ready to leave in two days."

"Alright."

Xxx

A few hours later

Snow White pulls the little girl closer, weaves a hand in Ruby's long dark hair.

"Will you still have time to play with me, and help me with my school work when we are there?"

"Of course!" The Princess assures. "I'll find time for you every day. Although, I'm not sure we're going to have school, but I'll teach you some classes if you want, so you can keep learning the alphabet."

The girl looks up at her in wonder, full of questions, of dreams, stars in her dark orbs. Ruby never complained about her life with her grandmother. She loves the old woman deeply and Granny adores her granddaughter. But before their house and village were destroyed by the Black Knights, before they came to live at the Merry Men's camp, Ruby had never touched a pen in her life. Never read a book. Never wrote her own name. Just like many of the lost children, she was part of the population who didn't have access to education. Not that Granny ever let them starve, she managed to always have something to fill the girl's belly. But Granny couldn't afford sending the child to school, and she wasn't good enough to teach her.

So, the first thing Granny did when she discovered the privileges of children from the camp, was to send Ruby to the little school held by Vanda and Henry, Regina's father. To give her her best chance. To allow her to have access to something she could have never paid for if it hadn't been free.

And Ruby couldn't be more thrilled to learn new things, absorbing the teacher's words one after the other, conscientiously doing her homework, learning the alphabet, one letter after the other. She asked Snow for her help regularly, eager to look up to an older figure, like a big sister somehow. The Princess couldn't have been happier to oblige.

She used those moments to share memories of her life, answered Ruby's every question, and found herself growing attached to the little girl more than she ever did to a younger kid.

"Tell me again how it is! How is your home?"

Snow chuckles, turns a little to face her friend, searches deep in her memory. She might have spent almost all of her life in this castle, what she lived during the last months, what she discovered, the connections she made, all of these have taken such an important part of her life, that the memories left of her life as princess seem to have happened ages ago.

And yet, it was only a few months ago.

No misunderstanding, she's happy to go back, to claim her life back, to make her father's death not be in vain.

But she got used to the life with the Merry Men. With David and Ruth. Ruby and Granny. With Regina…

She's afraid to lose it all. To lose  _them_.

She's afraid to fail, to be unable to stand up to Georges, to climb on the throne and be a fair ruler. Honestly, she's not even sure she knows what  _ruling_  truly means. Everything she thought she knew was blasted away one night by a woman in a purple dress, who broke her father's neck while he was down to his knees, without even a last glance.

Everything she's learned since then has been taught to her by a woman she once treated as a nobody, a farmer and her son. She once wasn't able to brush her own hair, and now she is capable of, not only doing a dozen hairstyles, but also of firing arrows –she's not the best yet, but she's working on it. She now knows how to milk cows and sheep, how to clean dishes and do laundry. Everything she was so certain she would never have to do, now she does.

Thanks to a woman who opened her eyes to the reality of the world by sending her to the most unexpected place. Thanks to a woman who lost so much and yet is giving people everything she has.

So, looking down at the girl she's protecting like a sister, and loving like one too, Snow White says, "You know, Ruby, home isn't necessarily where you grew up. Home, is where your heart is. And if I have to be completely honest with you, this place," she waves her hand to show the camp, "feels more like home than any castle ever did."

* * *

_Present_

_Regina takes a deep breath, tiredness washing over her with the overwhelming and painful feeling she brought back to the surface while telling her story._

" _According to the fairies, the news of my mother's defeat spread through the kingdoms in_ _under_ _two days. We decided that we would accompany Snow White to her castle a couple of days later, so we would have time to recover. Defending the princess if we were so injured we could barely h_ _o_ _ld a sword would've been useless. In the meantime, we started the rumor of her comeback, assured that Cora was gone for good, and that Snow would take her place as Queen soon. Alan's friend accepted to come and preside the trials, and we hoped that the remaining of her father's counselors who escaped my mother's wrath would be there to welcome and support her, and that Georges wouldn't be bold enough to show up."_

_She looks away, frowning deeply. "We also heard news that slightly stained our victory. Marian and the Sheriff were safe, on King Georges' land, and were expecting their first child. According to Zelena, Marian was around 6 or 7 months, she was already pregnant when my sister decided to take my side. The knowledge that they were safe and sound didn't bring us joy, but at the same time we couldn't go after them, not while they were under the King's protection, and we weren't anything else but thieves. As long as Georges was on the throne, we couldn't go against them. But we never forgot. They were among the first on our list of people to put in trial. But in order to arrest them, we needed to be prepared, and to recover from everything that had happened over the previous year. While getting ready to leave for Snow's castle, we also resumed living our lives, in peace this time. And well, despite the grieves that were weighing on us, some people managed to find light in the middle of a storm."_

* * *

A day later

She steps outside the tent with Little John, smiling at him and patting his shoulder, ducking her head to the side.

"Is something wrong?"

The man shrugs, scratches the back of his head. "I guess now I have to get used to the fact that this is my new life."

Regina furrows her brow. "What do you mean?"

"As long as the war was on, I could focus on something else. Now..." he trails off, looks over at the tent where they just tucked his son in for a nap. "Thankfully we both survived, so Connor won't lose anyone else. But training all the time, planning a way to get rid of Cora, it kept me busy, helped me... I don't know... Not to think about how much I miss her."

The brunette takes her friend's hand between hers, locking their gazes. "I understand exactly what you mean."

Little John nods, admits sheepishly. "I thought it would help, you know?" In front of Regina's confusion, he adds. "Getting rid of Cora. I thought I would feel better afterwards, but... I'm not. It hurts just as bad as it did when she was still here."

"I know. That's why revenge doesn't lead to anything but self-destruction. We were smarter than her, John. It's painful, and we lost so much, but we stayed true to who we are. We didn't betray our beliefs. Wherever she is, I'm certain that Amelia is extremely proud of you!" Regina assures, tugging at his hand. "Connor is going to become an amazing person, because his father is a such good man."

She earns a small smile from Little John, gives him an affectionate one.

"Go take a break while your son is napping, or he might exhaust you before we even reach dinner," she jokes, drawing a chuckle from them, both thinking of the boy's endless energy.

Regina spends the next minutes wandering among the camp, watching everyone working and getting ready to travel to the princess' castle the next day, actually appreciates the life emanating from them, the activities buzzing in the camp, getting ready for celebration and not war this time.

She stays away, doesn't come close, enjoys the privacy of observing from afar. Ruth is helping Granny prepare dinner, Johanna is taking care of the crops with Ruby, David is laughing with Dean about something she didn't hear. She smiles warmly at the sight of Matthew helping Snow White with archery, stays a little longer watching them, a bright smile tugging at her lips.

The two bonded, found common ground in practicing together, and she truly appreciates the fact that any resemblance of jealousy seems to have disappeared.

Regina is startled by two arms linking around her waist, cranes her neck to meet Robin's playful eyes, smiles at him and presses herself further in his hold, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Is there something on your mind, my love?"

She shrugs. "I'm just taking a few minutes to see what our lives have become."

"And what do you see?"

Regina looks around, tilting her head to the side, and suddenly stops, frowning, focusing on the scene that's happening in front of her eyes, even though they're actually halfway across the camp.

Nodding towards Alan and Zelena, talking privately a bit further, beaming smiles on their faces, she asks Robin, "Maybe… The beginning of something unexpected?"

He follows her gaze, his puzzled look softening as he contemplates the exchange. "I think you might be right. Since Ellen, I've never seen Alan interested in another woman. Perhaps Zelena joining us had another purpose besides giving you a sister and an ally against Cora."

Regina smiles, presses her head back against his chest, breathing softly. "I hope so. They deserve happiness, both of them." She suddenly frowns, remembering one thing she'd totally forgotten over the last days, given everything that happened, slightly shameful to have put this aside. But finally, she can share the news with her husband.

She turns fully to face Robin, pulling back slightly. "This makes me think... I have something to tell you."

He raises a hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face, smiling. "What is it?"

Regina takes a deep breath, biting her lower lip nervously, getting a hold on each of Robin's hands, guiding them down. She holds his puzzled look as she presses his palms to her lower abdomen, where their baby lies, finally safe, but doesn't mouth a word, lets him figure it out by himself.

He looks at her with confusion, a frown baring his forehead, until he understands. She knows the moment he does, because his brow shoots up, his mouth opens, tears filling his eyes suddenly as he stumbles with his words.

"Are you... Reg- Regina, is this... Are you telling me that...?"

She nods, trying to hold back her smile despite her glistening eyes, until his face lights up in wonder and happiness, and her chuckle is mixed with tears of joy when she confesses, "Yes, Robin. We're having a baby."


	29. The most resilient heart : Chapter 21

_Present_

" _As promised, we made the trip to Snow White's castle, where_ _we_ _found a cheerful crowd_ _praising_ _her._ _And given this newfound acclamation, Ruth and Johanna made sure she didn't fall back into her old habits, assuring she would present herself like the princess, and soon-to-be Queen she was, while also trying not to act snobbish or superior in any way_ _._

_Only three counselors of Leopold had survived over the initial ten, but they were eager to swear allegiance to her, to_ _give_ _her their endless and loyal support, and to guide her during the first steps of her reign and for as long as humanly possible. Of course, the coronation couldn't happen right away, more important things needed to be dealt with, but Snow took things in hand with the wise advice of the three men, as well as Ruth's and Johanna's._

_One of the first things that was decided was to set up a trial for King Georges. His_ _allegiance_ _and_ _alliance_ _with Cora were proof enough that he couldn't be trusted, and that he was a threat not only to Snow's reign, but to the people he martyred. Measures needed to be taken so no King after him would ever act the same. After a long debate with rulers from neighbor kingdoms who were more than inclined to stand_ _with_ _us, we received the military help we needed to arrest him without giving him the opportunity to fight back. Most people asked for his head, and after everything he had done, the judge's decision was an easy one. King George_ _s_ _was sentenced to death, and was to be executed on the same day. His death brought relief and calmness among the people, the families he had_ _harassed_ _for years finally feeling free from his constant tyranny._

_And after him, came all those who had stood for my mother. Some faced the same fate as the King, some were exiled, others imprisoned for a few years or a lifetime. Among them, two people Robin and I were more than eager to see condemned. Except_ _,_ _things didn't really go as planned. And I have to admit that it was_ _all_ _my fault."_

* * *

Four months earlier

Seven days after the end of the war

"How do you defend your crimes against the Queen, the Kingdom and the people?"

Regina leans against Robin, links their fingers, feels the way he protectively scoots closer and grips her hand.

It's not so much that she doesn't want to be here, she wants to see them pay. But being in their presence makes her feel uncomfortable, uneasiness plagues her. However, she has to be strong.

For Henry.

For her child who will never be, because two people were too resentful and hateful to foresee the consequences of their actions. Even if, truth be told, no one could have imagined what Cora would have done to her and her family. But Marian had already shown her lack of remorse towards Robin and Regina's child.

"We only executed the King and Queen's orders." The man, formerly known as the Sheriff of Nottingham, answers.

Whispers of protest rise among the crowd, but the man presiding the trial is quick to temper them.

"The  _rightful_   _Queen_  is standing right here," he reminds, waving his hand towards Snow White, sitting a bit further to his right. "The woman you bowed down to repeatedly over the last months, regardless of the lives she took, the crimes she committed, was a tyrant and a murderer. She took the power by force, by killing the King, using her magic and fear to rule and spread death and misery. She was an impostor. So I repeat my question. How do you defend your crimes against the crown?"

Marian glances at her husband, her face blank, holding back her real feelings, her obvious need to remove her chains and use her bare hands to choke the life out of the judge, and probably everyone who's staring at them.

"We don't," she says. For a second, there is a murmur of relief washing over the crowd. For a second only. "Because we never committed any crimes."

Regina's breath hitches, her eyes close slowly, head shaking slightly. Robin's hand grips hers harder for a second, before he releases the pressure, though he keeps their fingers linked.

Another hand covers her shoulder, but Regina doesn't need to look to know that it's Ruth, silently trying to be comforting, supportive. She feels the presence of Tuck behind her, of Little John's gaze next to the man of faith. She takes from her friends all the soothing she can, and tries to share it with Robin. He might be silent and still by her side, but she knows he is just as affected by this as she is. Henry was his child too. He  _once_  had feelings for Marian. And the former Sheriff of Nottingham has caused more suffering to families Robin knew over the kingdom than any of them could tell.

"Are you saying that you don't regret anything that you did, or the fact that you stood by their side all this time?"

The woman speaks again in the same cold voice. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Some people among the public shake their heads, sighing.

But a voice, stronger than the others, covers the crowd's whispers.

"Even when the Evil Queen and King Georges had your father murdered?"

There's a deep, strong silence then, an embarrassing truth hanging upon them. Everyone turns towards the person who spoke, the one who got up and is now glaring at the couple.

Granny.

The woman is standing still and firm, features hardened in anger, her demeanor accusative.

"How could you stand up to them after the way they treated him?"

It's only then, for a brief moment, so short Regina almost misses it, that she thinks she recognizes pain in the young woman's eyes. Distress.

However, the voice in which she speaks doesn't let any of her real feelings out.

"Because he betrayed us." Silence answers her, so Marian continues, "He was my father, and I loved him, but he betrayed me. He took  _her_ side," she says, pointing in Regina's direction, everyone's eyes following and looking at the couple sitting next to each other, their jaws clenched with resentment. "I tried to defend him, to make him change his mind so the Queen and King would spare his life. But he chose  _her_  over his own daughter. He chose the whore who ruined my life, over me." Straightening up, tilting her chin up, she declares, with so much honesty that Regina feels shivers running down her spine. "The punishment for treason, is death. So he only got what he deserved."

When she finishes, there is a slight, almost imperceptible murmur running among those who witnessed the scene.

"And so will you."

The judge has spoken in a sturdy voice, waving his hand towards the stakes to his right. "You have expressed no remorse about your misdeeds. You are responsible for the death of dozens, probably hundreds of people. You have come against the Queen and Kingdom. As you just said it yourself, the sentence for treason, is immediate death." Looking up at the guards standing right next to the couple, "Guards! Bring the prisoners to the stakes."

It's not the first execution since the trials begun, but it's the first time Regina doesn't feel at peace. She glances down to Marian's swollen abdomen, then back up to her face, hatred staring straight back at her. Looking to the side to the former sheriff, William de Wendenal, she doesn't see the same amount of anger. He is full of pride, of resentment, the list of his crimes written in the way he stares at the crowd, but there's something different. Not regret. Or maybe a little. She can't really be certain.

"William and Marian de Wendenal, this is your opportunity to meet your end with a clear conscience. Do you have any last words?"

Much to Regina surprise, he doesn't speak. But Marian does.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Regina frowns, meets Robin's equal expression, leans against him but lends an attentive ear to listen to the woman's words.

"I know I'm being judged for my choices, choices that have caused pain, misery, where I've…" She looks over at Robin and Regina, "even indirectly, brought death. When I look back at everything I've done, I want you all to understand how I feel. And that is… regret." Regina leans forward, confused for a moment, feeling Robin tense next to her, but she focuses on Marian's, her words, what she's declaring.

" _Regret_ ," the woman continues, oblivious of Regina's confusion, " that I was not able to cause more pain. Inflict more misery. And bring about more death."

Regina looks down, sighs. Robin's fingers are almost crushing her hand, his face is torn with anger and hate, so she gazes up, her free hand covering his arm in support, but Marian's next words and the harsh tone she speaks with draw her attention.

"And above all else, with every ounce of my being, I regret that I was not able to destroy Regina Mills and Robin Hood."

Her gaze is fixed upon the couple, her face twisted with disgust, looking at them like one would look at an abomination, spitting the last sentence, vomiting her loathing in the middle of the castle's court.

" _Arrows_!"

Snow White rises, and where the princess had been silent and shy until now, she commands the archers with the stance and confidence of a Queen.

Eight men get in position, readying their arrows, waiting for her signal. A scarf is winded around their eyes, forbidding the prisoners from seeing their execution.

Robin's grip tightens over Regina's hand. His jaw is so clenched that she can see the strain of the muscles of his neck, the blue of his eyes turning darker.

He is waiting for this moment to finally happen.

He is waiting for Marian to die.

"Take your aim."

And Regina cannot take any more of it.

"Fire."

" _Stop_!"

The arrows fly straight ahead towards their targets, and are stopped, an inch away from them, by Tinkerbell's intervention, her magic keeping them hanging in the air, before letting them drop to the floor when the fairy turns to look at the standing brunette, waiting, questioning.

"Regina?" Robin questions, voice thick with frustration and incomprehension, disappointment too.

She looks him right in the eyes. "This is not the way."

"Regina!" He calls again when she begins to leave, eyes following as she crosses the yard before entering the castle, but his feet stay rooted to the floor. When she has disappeared, he meets the princess' confused eyes.

However, the young woman orders, not letting her feelings show. "Bring them back to their cell."

The moment the scarf is removed from their eyes, Marian and William seem confused, lost as to what happened. But it doesn't take long for the pregnant woman to smirk in victory, almost laughing when she walks past Robin.

But he couldn't care less.

He caught up to his wife just a couple of minutes after, and now watches her hoist Connor to her hip when he runs towards her. She wraps her free arm around Matthew's shoulders, hugging him to her.

"Regina, I thought we all agreed on what had to be done." He argues the second he's by her side. "Instead, you showed  _mercy_? To Marian and the sheriff? They don't deserve it. Especially Marian! You heard her. She's completely unrepentant."

"I know!" She cuts him, pressing a kiss to Connor's hair before putting him down, moving away from Matthew.

Zelena eyes them curiously. She's been helping the other women take care of the children during the trials; since, given her past, she didn't feel comfortable attending arraignments against those who supported her mother. When Snow White, David, Ruth, Tinkerbell, Granny and the Merry Men, who did attend, enter the room, she startles, but decides that it isn't her place to step in, and joins the kids instead.

"But she's pregnant, Robin." Regina points when she faces him. "She's  _pregnant_ , and if we kill her, we kill her child too. And her husband… He… When I looked at him, I didn't see the same hate in his eyes."

"He tried to kill us all for years," Little John says.

"I remember! I was there, I also almost died because of him!" She reminds. "And maybe I'm wrong and he hasn't changed. But their child…"

"… is innocent," Ruth understands, ducking her head when Regina's reaction becomes clear in her mind.

"Exactly!" The young woman agrees. "It  _is_  innocent!" She turns towards Robin. "Just like Henry was." She calms her tone, walks closer, takes his hands. " _Our baby_. If Marian and William had shown mercy, we would have our baby with us, today."

"So you want to let them live?" He questions in a voice that is more affirmative than questioning, although slightly disagreeing.

"I don't want to be responsible for a child's death, nor for making it an orphan. You and I both know how that feels," she glances over at Matthew a bit further, kept busy by Zelena so he won't hear the conversation, "and I can't wish that upon anyone."

"What do you want to do then?" Snow White questions. "Keep them imprisoned?"

"And let them raise a child behind bars?" Granny asks. "That doesn't sound like you either, Regina."

The brunette shakes her head. "I think I have an idea that could work." She turns towards Robin. "I hope that you'll agree to it."

* * *

_Present_

_After th_ _eir trial_ _, we had to take care of another problem. When we went to arrest Georges, we discovered something. Something that changed things in our favor. His son, James, was David's_ _long lost_ _twin, Ruth's other son. The two were perfect_ _copies_ _, though really different as the other boy had been raised by a man who taught him cruelty._

_His reaction when faced wi_ _th_ _his brother and mother for the first time was a hard one. He completely rejected them. Probably too stunned by the revelation, he must have struggled accepting the truth. Ruth was completely devastated. She finally found her lost child, and he didn't want anything to do with her._

_Luckily, no one knew about this, so we changed the story to our advantage. While the truth was that both Ruth and Georges had accepted a deal with_ _The Dark One,_ _one side giving away one of her sons because she wasn't able to provide for them both, and the other asking for one because he and his wife were unable to conceive an heir, we declared that James and David were Georges' biological children, and that he abandoned one of them in order not to have a problem to choose which one to put on the throne. That way, everyone thought that David had royal blood, and_ _that_ _made him an ideal candidate to take Georges' place._

_Since he was one of Snow_ _'s_ _closest friends_ _and constant support, the people accepted him to climb_ _to_ _the throne in place of his brother, who escaped from his cell and ran away one night. He didn't go far," Regina reveals sadly, looking down._

" _We never planned to hurt him, but he, unfortunately, didn't make it. We found his body not far from the castle. Apparently, he fell from his horse while riding at fast speed, and didn't survive the fall. Out of respect for Ruth, who had just lost a son she never had the chance to know, we buried him in the crypt underneath the castle. He might have been a stranger to her, and cruel to those who met him, but he was still h_ _er_ _son."_

_Regina sighs, tugs her cloak around her shoulders more closely._

" _But David too had a hard time accepting th_ _is newfound truth._ _The numerous trials made us put the situation aside, but he resented his mother for_ _keeping_ _this from him, and for being able to give up one of her children so easily._

_For days, Ruth tried to give him an explanation, saying that_ _seeing her two sons_ _droop because she didn't have the money to take care of them, was pure torture. That being separated from one, but knowing he was safe and taken care of –at least that's what she hoped- instead of burying him before his first birthday, seemed to be the only solution back then. However,_ _David_ _had none of it, pushed her away for days. Snow tried to be there for him as a friend, but she was_ _incredibly_ _busy catching up on her new duties as a ruler._

_At some point, after Marian's trial, she asked Robin and I to step in. She said that he wasn't listening to her, that he was_ _berating_ _himself_ _over_ _the situation, that maybe he needed more of an adult intervention to help him see things_ _from another perspective_ _. David was a good kid, but this whole story was unfair to both him and Ruth, and if we wanted our plan to put him at the head of a kingdom to work, he needed to accept thi_ _s new reality._ _"_

* * *

Four months earlier

Three days later

"David?"

Robin knocks on the door again, calls the boy's name once more, glancing at his wife with concern when no answer comes.

"David," Regina calls, "it's us. We only want to talk, and despite how betrayed and angry you feel right now I'm sure you need it. So please, open the door... you know we'll go in anyway."

Robin arches an eyebrow at her boldness, and she just shrugs, then smiles in victory when they hear the footsteps of the sixteen year-old coming their way.

The door cracks open just slightly enough to make them understand that they can come in, but by the time they do, the boy is already sitting on his bed, head resting against the headboard, looking straight ahead of him.

"Hey," Regina says softly, sitting on one edge, Robin taking place on the other side.

She covers his hand with hers, tries to get him to look at her, but he stubbornly keeps staring at the wall.

"David, you need to forgive your mother," Robin starts. "It can't go on like this. It's been over a week."

"She lied to me."

"She protected you."

"By selling my brother?"

Robin sighs. "It's more complicated than that."

"It's not complicated. She had two children. She exchanged one for a farm. End of story."

"That's not how it happened." Robin reasons.

"Really?" David challenges, finally looking at him. "How do you know? Were you there? Did you see exactly what happened?"

"No, but-"

"Then you know nothing." The boy states, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the wall again.

"Neither do you, David." Regina points. "You were but a baby back then, you have no memory of that day."

"That doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?" She questions. "David, the life you had with your mother, you would've never lived it if she had kept you both."

"Because you think that was living?" He snaps. "You saw what our life was made of when you met us. You know I lost my father when I was a kid. If it wasn't for you two taking care of us, that  _life_  you're talking about would've been nothing but a struggle for survival."

"Now you're just being unfair!" Regina says with more strength in her voice. "You can't blame your mother for your father's death, nor for your social status."

"She said my father regretted the decision. I'm sure he started drinking because of that."

"We've already talked about this. No one forced your father to drink. Your mother never put the bottle in his hand. He was  _weak_. Unlike you! Your mother fought for you, David. Your father never did."

"But she asked for a farm to provide for our needs, and she couldn't even make that work!"

"And you say this because you know a lot of farmers who don't struggle every month?"

David rolls his eyes, and it's too much for Regina. Robin's frown gives away his surprise at the boy's unusual reaction, but she doesn't give him time to react.

She turns David towards her by pushing at his shoulder, forcing him to meet her exasperated gaze.

"You don't roll your eyes at me! I may be your friend, David, but I won't allow you to be disrespectful towards me. This childish behavior you're showing right now is really disappointing. I thought you were better than that. I know your mother hurt you, and you have every right to feel betrayed, but this has to stop! She loves you, David. She loves you with everything she has. She's a  _good_  mother," she arches an eyebrow, "trust me on that! So yes, she made a mistake, maybe she made the wrong choice, or maybe it's thanks to that choice that you are still alive and healthy today. But you need to suck it up and grow up! I know it's a lot to take in, but we are counting on you. Snow White needs you too, and right now she's worried sick about you. You are going to become a prince, David, and a King sooner than you think. You will have a kingdom to rule, and the two of you will support each other. After everything that's happened, I thought you were more mature than this. Please, prove me right! Show me that you are becoming the good and fair man I always knew you'd be."

There's silence then, a heavy one, both adults waiting for the child to make the decision, giving him time to process Regina's firm speech, to calm down, to come back to his senses.

"I'm sorry."

Regina cups his chin, brings his forehead to her lips, pressing a kiss there. "That's okay. I know you didn't mean it."

Robin rubs his back, suggests calmly. "There's someone else you should go apologize to." David nods, begins to get up from the bed, catches himself, gives Regina a hug, surprising her, but she returns it immediately. He pulls back and looks hesitantly at Robin, but the man is quick to wrap an arm around his shoulders, murmurs in his ear. "Go. Be a good man, David. Make us proud."

* * *

_Present_

" _And he did." Regina continues. "He apologized to his mother, and let go of his resentment. From that moment on, things instantly improved at the castle, and we were able to go back to organizing everything. With Snow White back at the head of her kingdom, and David strangely sitting on Georges' throne, we had won on both grounds. The next thing we needed to do, was celebrate..."_

* * *

Two weeks later

"Robin, we need to get ready!" Regina argues, chuckling as he pulls her back to bed once more, his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to him tightly, lips finding her neck.

"One more time," he mutters against her skin, his hands adjusting her body until she's underneath him, stuck, pinning her wrists on each side of her head as he traces a lazy path of open-mouthed kisses along her chest.

"But we're already..." She licks her lips to fight the dryness of her mouth, her breath short as he takes one of her nipples between his teeth. " _Late_ ," she moans, bites her lower lip and presses her chest up against her husband's face. "God, Robin..."

She hears him chuckle, his shaft pressing between her thighs, already fully erected despite the countless times they've made love during the afternoon.

"I don't think they'll notice." Robin manages to say between two suctions, rubbing himself against her warmth.

"Wouldn't bet on that..." Regina sighs, letting her head fall to the side contently, giving up trying to resist him.

Robin suddenly pulls back from her breasts, startling her as he looks down at her. " _Stop thinking_ ," he urges, releasing her wrists, one hand cupping her neck as he brings her mouth to his, the other sliding down her waist, in a direction Regina is already aware of.

Ever since she told him about their growing child, after clear disappointment of not having been told as soon as she knew had passed, Robin's been over the moon. Whenever they are next to each other, one of his hands always finds its way to her stomach, which had suddenly began to grow soon after she told him.

xxx

Three weeks earlier

" _Yes, Robin. We're having a baby."_

His reaction is immediate.

Robin lifts Regina from the ground, pressing her against his chest, his lips claiming hers the moment he puts her down. His hands are on each side of her face, hers are circling his wrists, answering his kiss, melting in his embrace.

When he pulls back, his face is radiant, beaming with pure happiness.

"When did you find out?"

Regina's face falls a little, and she winces, admits sheepishly in front of his confused gaze.

"Two months ago."

Robin's brow shoots up, and he steps back.

" _Two months_?" He asks, not angry but disappointed.

"Yeah," Regina moves towards him, captures his hands in hers, explains softly, acknowledging his hurt feelings, how betrayed he must feel. "I should have told you sooner, but…" she sighs, stares down, then up, speaks resolutely, because this is the truth and her choice, and if she has to face her husband's disappointment or thunder, she will. "I didn't want to worry you more than you already were."

"Worry me? Regina, knowing that you were pregnant would have brought me more satisfaction and joy than anything else. This is an amazing news. How could you hide it from me?"

"Because I didn't know if I was going to survive, or escape this war unharmed, and you losing me is one thing, but losing another child…"

Robin's eyes light up in understanding, the realization that his wife didn't mean to keep him at bay, but just wanted to protect him, slowly making its way in his mind.

"You wanted to spare me?"

The young woman shrugs slightly, nods, speaks softly.

"Yes. It wasn't the best way, but I did. I love you, Robin. I hate to see you hurting. And I know I'm hurting you right now and I'm so sorry, but when I found out about this baby, I just… I got scared. I thought that keeping it to myself was the best solution for everyone. That way it would stay a secret from my mother too, and consequently she couldn't hurt this child." Robin lifts a hand to her face, and Regina leans into his palm. "I'm sorry, Robin. I'm sorry I kept this from you. I understand that you're in pain, and it's my fault, so if there's anything I can do to make you feel better, I'll…"

She's cut off by lips closing over hers, Robin's fingers sliding over her skin to cup her neck and bring her closer, tenderly kissing her.

"Can you assure me that this baby is safe and healthy?" He murmurs between them, his forehead stuck to hers.

"It is." She assures. "Tuck examines me regularly, and he assured me the baby wasn't affected by-"

"Tuck knew?"

Regina winces.  _Damn it_! She's just making this worse, isn't she?

But she can't lie to Robin. Not anymore.

"He did."

"You told him but not your own husband?" Robin asks, flabbergasted.

"No! No, Robin, that's not it! I didn't tell him. He figured it out. When we came back from the confrontation with my mother, after the farm was attacked and you almost died, he examined me, and I didn't pay attention but he must have seen something, a sign, that told him I was pregnant. I made him swear not to tell you, so please don't be mad at him! He was only being a friend trying to protect me and our child."

Robin moves away, wipes his face with his hand, thoughtful. Regina lets him, figures he needs a moment to digest the news. When he turns to face her a few seconds later, she can see he's still processing everything he just learned.

"So… It was only to protect me? Nothing else?"

" _Yes_! Robin, I could never hide this from you purposely, not without a good reason. I would've told you immediately if I had been sure our child was safe. You have no idea how much torture it was to know about it but not be able to tell you. I wish I could've shared this with you from the beginning, I swear. I'm sorry, honey. I never meant to cause you so much pain."

He nods, silent, as if slowly accepting her answer.

"Alright."

Regina frowns. "Alright?"

Robin nods again, turns to her, resolutely staring at her. "Alright. I can deal with this. We're having a baby, we're free from your mother, and we're about to settle things out with Georges. I don't want to think of anything from the past. I want to focus on us." He glances down to her abdomen. "I want to focus on our family."

Regina attempts a small smile, a shy one. "So… does that mean you're going to forgive me?"

Meeting her eyes, Robin smiles back. "I already have. You're the last person I want to hold a grudge against. You're my wife, the mother of my children. I love you too much to resent you for trying to do what you thought was best for me and our child. Plus, I can't even imagine how you felt, carrying all this fear of having our baby injured, and at the same time being unable to share your burden with someone."

He brings a hand to her face, brushes her cheek, pushing a strand of hair away, then cupping her jaw, thumb rubbing her skin softly.

"It's okay, Robin. I'm okay. Now, you know. Our child is safe, and so are we. That's all that matters."

Robin presses a kiss to her lips, then kneels down in front of her, hands hovering above her stomach. Tears are gathering in his eyes when he finally presses his palms flat against it.

"Hey, you. I'm your daddy. We haven't had the chance to talk yet, but I want you to know that I love you very, very much. I'm so impatient to meet you, my sweet baby. I promise you, from now on, I will talk to you every single day. I will make sure that you always know how much your mommy and I care about you. I love you, baby. From the bottom of my heart."

xxx

Regina smiles when she thinks of how invested Robin is in her pregnancy, how amazed he is by the way her body is changing. The curve is still small, she knows she isn't really far along after all, but it's starting to become noticeable for those who pay attention, or for her very,  _very_  thrilled husband, who can't wait for an occasion to press a kiss there and talk to their unborn baby. Also, now that life is giving them a break, he seems to have become unable to hold himself back, as if he's catching up on those busy months when making love had become a luxury.

And honestly, Regina is not complaining in the slightest.

Except when there's a ball being thrown in the castle to finally celebrate the victory and the end of the trials, and remember all the victims of the Evil Queen's madness.

But the moment Robin enters her, the moment this feeling of love spreads through her entire body, Regina forgets about the party, about the finished war, about the victory and the dead. She gives herself to her husband with everything she has, doesn't hold back one single moan or cry, until they come again for the umpteenth time that day, relaxing into bed with a sated moan.

They're still trying to slow down their breaths when a knock is heard, making them jump, eyes snapping open.

"Regina? Robin?"

Regina sits up at Ruth's voice, covering herself with the sheet. "Yes?"

"Are you ready? The party is going to start soon, everyone is waiting for you," the woman says from the other side of the door.

Regina turns back to Robin, arching an eyebrow and smirking, answering Ruth. "We'll be down in a minute!"

She gets up from the bed, still looking at Robin when she tells him playfully, "no one will notice, huh?"

He shrugs, gives her a guilty smile. "They must be dying to see the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom in flesh and blood. There's no other reason while they would be so eager to see us."

Regina chuckles, grabbing a pillow from the couch where her dress for the evening is, and throwing it at his head. "Stop flirting and get ready!"

xxx

Alan guides her outside, holding her hand gently, letting her take place on the balcony, facing the dark night ahead of them, thousands of stars filling the sky.

"The night is beautiful," Zelena sighs contently.

"Indeed it is. Not as beautiful as you are, though," he adds, blushing.

Zelena gives him a shy smile. "You really are a flirt, aren't you?"

"Only to the right lady."

"I'm not a lady," she says softly, looking down.

"You are to me."

Zelena gives Alan a curious look, tilts her head to the side. "Why are you doing this?" She questions so low he barely hears her. "I saw the way girls were looking at you inside that room. They have beautiful outfits and great education, probably a good family too. You could have anyone you want. Why me?"

Alan sighs, rests his elbows on the balcony, looking away from a second.

"Do you know I almost got married once?"

Zelena's mouth opens in surprise, but she shakes her head silently.

"I was young. It was just before I met Robin and Little John. My family wasn't noble, but we had some money, my father was the best trader in town. There was this girl, Ellen. She was the wealthiest woman my age in town, truly beautiful, with delicate manners, finest clothes. I was head over heels in love with her. One day, I met her, for real, and she took a liking in me. We started to spend time together, and I was wooing her properly. Everything was perfect, and she assured me that she shared my feelings. So I proposed to her." Alan pauses, looks down. "She accepted. But as we were planning the wedding, this man came into town. He was a bit older, charming, and mostly, he was a royal. From which family, I don't remember. But the moment his eyes fell over my Ellen, I knew it was over. Ignoring her engagement to me, he offered her a life made of gold and castles, a  _princess_ _'_  life, and without even a regard for myself, she suddenly changed her mind, decided that she loved him and wanted to be with him. She broke our engagement, and married him a week after. I attended the wedding, from afar at least, she didn't want me to embarrass her by making a scene, so I wasn't allowed to officially assist. It's then that I decided to leave. I felt humiliated, and heartbroken. I truly was in love with her, while she had been playing me the whole time."

"That's awful," Zelena breathes.

"You see, Zelena, these girls inside, they don't want me for who I am. They like the image of one of the fighters, one of a war hero wearing fine clothing and in the next Queen's good graces. But the minute they see the place I live in, the second a prince bows down to their feet promising them the world, I will cease to exist to them. Whatever could happen between us would only be an illusion." He takes Zelena's hand, lifts it to his lips and presses a kiss to its back. "But with you, I know what I feel is true. You may not be a princess, but to my eyes you are the most beautiful woman in the room. You make me laugh, my heart beats faster every time I'm close to you. I enjoy every second you allow me to spend with you, Zelena. And I do hope, with all my heart, that you feel the same way about me." He smirks then, adding on a playful tone. "Especially since we live in the same place and it will be really hard to avoid each other if you don't, given what I just confessed."

Zelena bursts out laughing, and Alan joins her, her fingers closing around his, until she looks up at him, her laugh subsiding, eyes locking.

"I do," she whispers, then clears her throat. "I do feel the same way about you."

And then, without giving it a second thought,  _she_  leans forward, and presses her lips to his.

xxx

"They're cute, aren't they?"

Regina looks up from the game she's playing at with Connor and Matthew to meet Ruth's eyes, the woman nodding towards the dance floor. Following her gaze, Regina sees Snow and David, awkwardly holding each other as the young man focuses on the steps he just learned recently.

"Indeed. Despite her initial fears of leaving the camp and coming back here, Snow is thrilled to be back to her princess life. David seems to adjust pretty well too. They are playing their roles perfectly."

Ruth sighs. "They have so many responsibilities now, both of them. And they're still so young."

"I know," Regina agrees. "But they're handling it well, I'm proud to see them acting as adults when it comes to the Kingdoms' matter. Of course, they're lost sometimes, but they have great counselors and advisors, people we can trust. I'm sure they'll do great."

"The fact that we agreed to keep them together and move from one castle to the other every month makes things easier. I don't know how we would've managed if they were separated and I had to split my time between them."

"Knowing that David is not a threat for Snow White is what helps people accept him as their leader. Having the two growing up together actually reinforces their authority and unites the two kingdoms."

"That's true. And they've grown really close. They're used to being together all the time now."

"Mom?"

Regina looks down at Matthew, smiling softly. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Can I go dance with Connor?"

Meeting the toddler's blue begging eyes and Matthew's shining dark ones, Regina has to hold back a laugh. These two can make quite a team, the way they naturally accepted each other's place in her life so easily amazes her. "Of course!" She weaves a hand in Matthew's hair, presses a kiss on top of Connor's head. "Be careful with him, Matthew! He's still little," she reminds him.

"Okay."

"I'm a big boy!" Connor argues, but the older child is already tugging at his hand and dragging him towards the dancers.

"Those two are really something," Ruth chuckles next to her.

"Oh yes! It's nice that they get along so well."

"They're acting like brothers. Matthew loves Connor, playing big brother suits him."

"And he's very excited about having a sibling in a few months!" Someone exclaims, making the women jump and turn around to face Robin, standing behind them with a wide smile, his hand immediately reaching for Regina's neck and stroking slightly.

"Where have you been all this time?" His wife questions, leaning into his touch.

"I spent some time with Little John. He wasn't feeling well, and needed to get some air."

"Is he gonna be alright? Should I go see him?" Regina asks, turning to face Robin fully, her voice strained with concern.

Little John was happy for his friends when Regina announced her pregnancy, but there was a slight trace of pain in his eyes, perfectly logical after what -  _who -_  he lost. They talked to him, Robin and Regina, and the man assured them he was fine, that he truly was glad and they deserved this baby, but the couple knew better. Their friend still struggles with the lost of his wife, and with the fact that the end of the war didn't bring him the peace he was expecting.

Coming to the castle where his wife had been tortured and murdered didn't help. Especially when they found him knelt down in the cell where Amelia was held captive crying everything he had in him - he asked Zelena to show him which one it was, and she did, but had the good sense to warn his friends immediately after. That day, Regina, Robin, Alan and Tuck didn't leave his side. They brought him back to his bedroom, asked Ruth to look after Connor, sat on the bed around the man, Regina holding him tightly. They waited until the sobs subsided, gave him some time to recover, and then they started talking. They brought back memories of their young years together, their training, how they met. They remembered funny stories, and anecdotes, and pretty much as they did for Regina on the first anniversary of Daniel's death, they kept going, until a smile broke through his tears, then a chuckle, and a laugh, followed.

But anyway, since that moment, they are very careful with him, one of them always checks on him.

And that includes tonight.

"He's fine. Tuck is with him. They're catching up before he has to leave."

"He's going back to the monastery?" Ruth asks sadly. "So soon?"

"Yes," Regina shrugs. "He needs to complete his training, and as much as we want to have him with us, we understand. He wanted to stay around for my pregnancy, but he can't wait that long. This one still has a while to spend in here before it's time." she says with a beaming smile, her palms falling flat above her stomach, rubbing in circles. The curve is small, but noticeable, showing even under her dress.

"How is our growing thief doing tonight, by the way?" Robin asks, bending over her shoulder, one of his hands finding its way along her waist to join hers on her front.

"It was missing its daddy," Regina answers playfully, nuzzling Robin's cheek, pressing a kiss there.

"It told you that, huh?"

Nodding eagerly before locking her lips with her husband's, Regina laughs into the kiss, warmth spreading through her, heart fluttering and overflowing with love, until a hand lands on her arm, squeezing slightly.

"Regina?"

The young woman pulls back from Robin to look questioningly at Ruth, who simply glances at her hands, and Regina understands.

There's a slight light surrounding them, and she closes her palms immediately, breathing slowly to focus, centering herself.

In the month following the revelation of her growing magic, she tried to get it under control. At first, she was reluctant to use it again, despite the mix of grief, relief and happiness that kept triggering it. She knew magic wasn't something people were comfortable with, and scaring them was the last thing she wanted to do. But as something you have freed once has a clear tendency to find its way out again, the struggle to keep it locked inside became more difficult every day, to the point where Robin and her friends urged her to accept it. They knew her, trusted her, they were certain she would never hurt them. So, with Zelena's help, and sometimes Tinkerbell's, she began to learn how to control it, how to use her powers for daily tasks that would normally require more strength than she possessed. The two sisters helped the Merry Men rebuilt the traps around the camp in no time, they casted a protection spell around its limits just in case someone would try to get through while some of them were accompanying Snow White on her journey back home.

But in times like this, when happiness is boiling within her, when she loses control, it comes back. It's never much, and never hurts -this magic is made out of love after all, but no one knows about it beside her family and friends, and Regina wants to keep things that way.

"Sorry," she apologizes, opening and closing her fists several times to get rid of the tingling sensation. "I forgot."

"You were too focused on something else," Ruth muses with a knowing smirk. "It's really nice to see you both so happy again. I wish your father could see you right now, darling. You're glowing."

Regina blushes, her smile fading a little, but not disappearing.

"I like to think he can see me from wherever he is."

"I'm sure he is, Regina." Robin assures gently, before adding with a much firmer tone. "And he wouldn't want us to dwell on his death!" He pulls at his wife's hand, forcing her to get up. "Come on! I haven't had the chance to dance with my beautiful wife tonight."

Regina laughs carelessly, gives an apologetic look to Ruth, before following Robin, her free hand landing on his shoulder as his fingers slide to her waist.

"We danced for the first five songs!" She argues.

Robin pecks her lips quickly. "That happened way too long ago. I need to remedy it right away!"

During their time there, they cross path with Matthew and Connor, who have been joined by Ruby. They share a dance with them three, until Regina spots Little John coming back with Tuck. She urges a tired Connor to go to him, watches the two disappear behind the main doors, knows she will only see them in the morning. Zelena arrives to ask Matthew for a dance, earning an eager nod from the boy. The redhead winks at Regina, leads her nephew away as Alan lifts Ruby up in the air.

It doesn't take long for the married couple to bump into David and Snow White, and the two men exchange their partners, Robin moving with the princess while David scrunches his nose in concentration as his tired mind begins to mix up the steps, making Regina almost stumble more than once, but she's quick to react each time, always ends up laughing.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I danced this so many times tonight I should know the steps perfectly by now."

She brings a hand to his cheek, strokes kindly. Seeing him so tired and lost makes her want to hold him tight. This is so much to adjust to, and he doesn't even realize how much of a great job he's doing.

"That's fine, David. It's late, and your life has changed drastically over the last weeks. That's a lot to take in for a young man, you're allowed to make mistakes."

But the ball is almost over, the guests exhausted, and soon it's time for goodnights, warm hugs and kisses on the cheek.

Robin has to carry a sound asleep Matthew to the double chamber they share with him, and lies him down on the bed. With Regina's help, they remove his clothes to change him, and tuck him in, before closing the door, changing their own outfits, and crawling into bed themselves.

xxx

Five days later

She hugs the man fiercely, holding him tightly, clutching to his neck when he attempts to pull back. She hears him chuckle, his hand weaving into her hair, pressing at the back of her skull, his lips dropping a kiss to her temple.

"It's only for a few months," Tuck reminds her, making Regina sigh, before she relents and finally releases him.

"I know. But it was so good to have you back. I'm going to miss you so much."

"I will miss you too. I want you to take a good care of yourself," he gives a pointed look downward to her slightly swollen abdomen, "and of that little guy here. I can't wait to come back and see you hold your child in your arms."

Regina's eyes fill up with tears, tears that she doesn't let fall.

"So am I," she whispers, a smile piercing at the prospect of holding her baby.

She takes a step back, lets her friends and her husband say goodbye to Tuck, watching them with tenderness. She snuggles in Robin's arms when he stops next to her, and her smile widens as she sees Snow White and David making their way towards Tuck, the princess' demeanor less strict than it used to be, but the enjoyment of having her life back at the castle evident anyway. As for David, he's trying to hold himself straight, and he slouches a bit, but in these clean and royal clothing, despite how strange it is to see him dressed as such, even after weeks spent here, Regina thinks that he already has the look and attitude to become a fine and just King.

The two bow reverently in front of her friend, and Regina rolls her eyes, looks up at Robin's amused gaze at the worldliness. But Snow takes Tuck's hand firmly in hers, and promises him that he and his brothers will always find support in her, that they can come to her if they ever need anything. After promising the same thing, David steps back, and Tuck climbs on his horse, waving goodbye to his friends one last time.

xxx

A week later

"I don't want you to leave," Snow White pleads, looking up at Regina, her arms still winded around her waist.

The woman brushes the princess' hair away from her face, looks softly at her.

"I know. But I have to go back to my home, and you have a kingdom to rule. The next months are going to be difficult, you and David have so much to do, so many things to learn. Focus on this, Snow, and the three months to your coronation will pass in no time."

"It's still hard to believe," Snow admits, finally releasing her.

"What is?"

"The fact that I'm going to be Queen," the girl says with amazement. "I always knew the day was bound to come, but I didn't think it would be so soon."

Regina rests her hands on the princess' shoulders, smiles reassuringly. "You're going to be an amazing Queen, Snow. And I will be here for your coronation. There's no way I can miss such an important event in your life."

Snow White's shyness and doubts turn into a wide smile, her face lighting up at Regina's words.

"I will practice my archery while waiting for you. Next time you see me shoot an arrow, I will hit the center of the target."

Regina chuckles, brushing the girl's cheek. "I'm sure you will, Snow."

The young woman turns to the side, to Johanna, whose hand she takes and squeezes warmly, and then to Ruth and David. They stay silent, no word is voiced, but the hug they share is worth a thousand speeches. Regina pulls back, one hand tucked in Ruth's, the other stroking David's neck.

"You take care of yourself, alright?" she requests, almost in a pleading.

"We will," Ruth assures. "We're going to make sure these two become the fairest and most respected rulers the Enchanted Forest has ever known."

Nodding, Regina looks at David. "Don't forget where you come from, David.". Turning to Snow just next to them, she adds. "And remember what you learned outside this castle, Snow." She looks at the boy again, finishing. "It will remind you what you can, and cannot do as rulers. I count on you."

"I promise, Regina," David answers, Snow White echoing his words.

"Good."

"Gina!"

The high-pitched voice resonates in the garden, drawing a happy chuckle from everyone, breaking the moment effectively. Regina turns to see Connor running towards her, Little John looking at her sheepishly. She scoops the boy in her arms, laughs softly, can't help it but to press a kiss to his cheek.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Daddy say I can go with you on the horse."

"To be fair, I told him he could check that with you!" His father counteracts from his spot a little further, his voice tainted with amusement.

The  _Please, Gina!_  Connor lets out has her melting completely, and she kisses his brow, pulls back to look at him lovingly.

"Well then, how can I refuse something when it's asked so nicely?"

She looks over at Snow, David and Ruth one last time, adjusting Connor on her hip. "I'll see you in three months."

While she settles Connor on Rocinante's back, she notices Ruby and Granny bidding their goodbyes too. The little girl has created a real bond with the princess, and even from afar she can see how sad they are at parting ways. But they don't belong in a palace, and Granny wants to raise Ruby away from all the wealth and manners a castle can hold (she thankfully didn't say that in front of the princess, but Regina can only agree with her choice).

Knowing that the old woman lost her home, Ruth kindly offered her to take over the farm. On their way here weeks ago, they went there, and the place was still holding. Of course, after the soldiers' passage and months of not being taken care of, there was no animal left and some damage was done, but Snow gave Granny enough money to buy whatever she deemed was necessary to rebuilt, and the Merry Men offered their help for the hard work.

From her spot on Rocinante behind Connor, Regina meets Robin's gaze, looks at Matthew proudly sitting in front of him on his steed. She nods at her husband, and he gives the signal.

Waving a last goodbye to the castle's new inhabitants, they begin their journey back home.

* * *

_Present_

" _Our life changed," Regina admits "With David and Snow at the head of the kingdoms, stealing wasn't an option anymore, and we knew that with time and changes the villagers would go back to a better life, one that might not need us as thieves anymore. Of course, castes would never disappear, but we knew the new rulers would make sure that the people were safe. And for that, Snow's and David's advisers offered us, The Merry Men, to take position as_ _the_ _new force. We could become sort of law enforce_ _rs_ _, and we would actually_ _get_ _paid to maintain order. We were surprised by the offer, there was a certain irony to the fact that the most famous thieves were being proclaimed sheriffs, but they argued that we had won people's trust, and that this job was somehow close from what we did over the last year, in the way that we were protecting the villagers. Obviously, we weren't numerous enough, and since we refused to leave the camp, our perimeter was restricted to what was now David's land, but we did agree to train a new generation of sheriffs. Among the villagers who came to live at the camp with us, some were interested in the offer, and we began training them for that purpose. For our sake, we kept the camp's location a secret, so a second base of training was built on Snow's land, and the unmarried Merry Men went there, time for them to maintain order and teach everything that was necessary to their new students._

_Life was good again. We just had one more thing to take care of."_

* * *

Six days later

Scarfs are removed from their faces. Marian and William de Wendenal open their eyes and look around curiously, clearly confused when they recognize the Fitzwalter's home.

"What is this? Are you releasing us?"

The question is spoken with perplexity, the former sheriff furrowing his brow, trying to understand. However, the way Marian stares at Regina, fixed upon her swollen abdomen, which she must have never seen before, and realizing that she is with child too, makes Robin bring an instinctive hand in front of his wife. Not that he is impressed, but the other woman is unpredictable, and he prefers to be ready if she makes a foolish attempt at hurting them.

"Not exactly."

"Why are we here then? Why are we back to our domain since you won? What are you going to do to us?"

Robin chuckles bitterly. "It's not what I could do that you should be afraid of. You two made a lot of enemies over the last years, people know the part you played in starting the war, and believe it or not, but I only transferred you here today and not sooner to make sure you didn't escape, and to protect you."

"Protect us?" Marian bites. "You must be joking! Are you sure you didn't knock your head too hard on a rock?"

She spat harshly, her voice hateful, but neither Regina nor Robin are surprised. It's not different than the way she spoke to them during their trial.

"I can assure you that I am perfectly fine, but thank you for your concern," Robin replies seriously, although he's clearly mocking her.

He plays a role, one that allows him to keep some distance, not to jump at their throats and strangle the couple. He supports his wife in her decision to spare their lives, but that doesn't mean he's not struggling with the need to see them hung to a tree.

"You see, Marian, if I follow the law, that I am now paid to apply," he glances at her husband, who's standing straight by his wife's side. "I should have you both killed immediately. Something that should have had happened weeks ago.  _However_ ," He furrows his brow, lifts a finger, then wraps an arm around Regina's shoulders, "my dear wife here, saw that you were pregnant. And you see, she's not like you. She won't take your baby away from you, nor will she kill an innocent unborn child. So, I had to compromise, because believe me, nothing would please me more than being rid of you two for good. Here's what we're going to do."

He takes a deep breath, announces on a solemn voice. "You will both be restrained to this house, until you, Marian, give birth to your child. During that time, you won't be allowed to set one foot outside, and you can trust me," he smirks. "I will have so many guards here that if you ever try, they will be aware of it, and they will follow strict orders to shoot an arrow at one of your feet. Painful, right?" He ducks his head to the side in what is obviously a provocative posture. "I advise you not to make any stupid and vain attempts at escaping or playing me, especially in your condition, because you will for sure lose."

"And when the baby is born?" The other man asks, defiant.

"Ah! Yes. The baby. Well, you can't really expect us to release you, can you?"

"So you will kill us then?" Marian bites.

"Not at all! On the contrary. You will be led to the far edge of the Enchanted Forest, where all the traitors who weren't executed were sent. You will enter a place from which you will never return…" Robin pauses, and then adds, "for your sake."

Glancing at the woman's large belly –she definitely isn't far from her due date, but pregnancy clearly hasn't appeased her bitterness, Robin takes a step back, grabbing Regina's hand and feeling her close her fingers over his.

"Food and water will be delivered daily, but do not expect a luxurious life. You will have what we deem is necessary, and nothing more." He nods to someone to the side, and a couple of men carrying heavy weapons step in front of the newly declared prisoners. "Meet two of your new jailers. Your penitence has begun. The moment we close this door, it will be sealed from the outside, as every other one giving access to the inside. Be sure that we also found all the secrets doors, so don't waste time trying to use them. Enjoy your time alone. There's plenty to come."

And as the door closes over the two figures, Regina and Robin never look away.


	30. The most resilient heart : Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... The second part of this story comes to an end.   
> I made a choice in this chapter, one that didn't win my betas' hearts, but I stick to my decision. The reason why I did it will be explained at the end of the chapter ;-)

Two and a half months before

Three weeks after Marian and William were locked in her house

Regina ends the lesson with an encouraging smile, nods kindly to the men who thank her as they begin to leave the practice field for a small break before their next lesson -sword fighting with Little John and Colin.

She rubs her back slowly, stretches a bit only to wince at the slight pressure on her lower back. She shakes her head, swings her bow over her shoulder and heads to the well. Before she even reaches it,  _he_ 's by her side, a hand on her lower back, its warmth spreading through her light clothing, soothing the aching and tired muscles.

"Let me help you," Robin says, grabbing the rope and sending the bucket into the well, letting go of his wife in the process.

As he pulls it out of the hole, Regina chuckles. "I can still do it, you know? I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

Pouring a large cup of fresh water and handing it to her, Robin answers seriously, but she can feel the tenderness and care emanating from his eyes and voice.

"I know, my love. But you've been particularly tired and sore with every new day of your pregnancy, and you still insist on giving your lessons."

She gives him a raised eyebrow, smirks. "If I stop practicing while I'm still months away from the due date, trust me, you will be so tired of my bad mood that you'll kick me out of this camp before I give birth to our baby."

Chuckling, Robin leans forward, dropping a kiss to her temple while Regina drinks her water.

"Not a chance!" He pulls back, lets her finish her drink, and lifts a hand to cup her cheek tenderly when she's done. "But I'm serious, Regina. Take it easy, slow down a bit. If you want to keep teaching, then do it, but give fewer classes. Connor and our kids are already taking a lot of your energy; don't waste what you have left practicing."

Regina leans into his touch, smiles softly. "Alright, I will consider slowing down." In front of Robin's pointed look, she corrects with a sigh. "Okay, okay! You win! I  _will_  slow down."

Smiling in victory, her husband drops a kiss to her brow. "Good!" Noticing the way she's trying to keep her eyes open and the tiredness of her features, he urges. "And go take a nap! You look like you're about to faint."

This time, Regina doesn't argue, nods, rests her forehead against his chest, his arms naturally winding around her waist when she snuggles in his embrace.

"But I was supposed to help Matthew-"

"I'll do it," Robin cuts her, the hand on the back of her head getting lost in her hair, the other rubbing her back. "You get some rest."

"Thank you," she mutters, leaning in his arms even more, taking a few moments, before pulling back, a tired smile on her lips, propping up on her toes to kiss him before turning her back on him and walking away.

As he watches his wife disappear in their tent, Robin sighs contently, a feeling of pure happiness filling him when he thinks of what their lives have become, what is waiting for them.

A child.

A baby.

Having Matthew in his life now brings him so much joy and satisfaction, but the news of this new baby is adding to that happiness, makes him feel complete somehow. Being a father is something new to him, Matthew has only been in his life for a few months, but it makes him so excited to discover everything he missed with the older boy, everything he sees his friends experience with their own children.

"Dad?"

The voice startles him, pulling him out of his thoughts, and when Robin spins on his heels to face Matthew, his smile widens instinctively, and he walks to his boy with no hesitation.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen mom? She's supposed to help me with my school work."

"She went to get some sleep, she was exhausted. But I said I'd help you, alright?"

Matthew nods eagerly, follows Robin as he walks to the large tables at the center of the camp, sitting next to him and in front of the large book the boy drops there.

"So tell me, what exercises do you have to do?"

xxx

Time flies by, and when a hand comes to press on his shoulder, Robin jumps, cranes his neck to meet Regina's amused eyes.

"Hey!"

"Mom!" Matthew exclaims. "Do you feel better?"

Regina chuckles and smiles, fingers brushing his hairline tenderly. "Yes, sweetheart, I do. How are things going on here?"

"Good! Dad made me read a whole chapter of my story book and I finished all the writing I had to do for the week."

Regina raises an eyebrow in admiration, bends to kiss her son's forehead. "That's great, Matthew! But maybe it's enough for today?" She glances at Robin, who nods his agreement. "You're free from your homework, young man. Go have some fun with your friends. I think I heard Jonas and Jenna talking about playing in the river."

Matthew's eyes light up in excitement, and he almost jumps on his seat when he asks, "Can I go?"

Regina and Robin share a laugh at his eagerness, Robin gathering the books on the table and handing them to the boy.

"Yes, Matthew. Put these in your tent and then you can go with them. But be careful, I want an adult there to watch you!"

"Okay, dad. I'll ask Alan, he never minds coming with us. Thanks!"

The second he's running over to his tent, Regina sits next to Robin, letting her head fall on his shoulder as he wraps an arm around her waist, watching the figure of their son disappear among the crowd of the camp.

"He's incredible," Regina says softly.

"He is," Robin agrees. "He's made so much progress, with school, archery, and he's changing so much. I was afraid he would feel insecure with our new baby, but he's welcomed the news with so much enthusiasm... It's only been a few months, but I feel like it's been years, like we've always had him."

Regina sighs contently, her hand finding his thigh. "I know. Me too."

xxx

Two days later

"So, how are things going with Alan?" Regina questions mischievously, smirking at her sister as they walk through the forest.

Zelena blushes, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and shrugs. "I don't know. Good, I guess? We're taking it slow. I really do like him, I've never felt for anyone what I feel for him."

Regina shoots her a bright knowing grin that has the red-headed woman blushing. "What?" Zelena asks sheepishly.

"Nothing!" Regina dismisses, shaking her head, but her smile doesn't fade. "I'm just really happy for you two, you deserve it."

"It's still the beginning, and I'm partly responsible for what our mother did. Things are still awkward with some people, and I'm afraid that he will be forced to choose between his friends and me if what we have grows more serious," Zelena argues.

"There's always a risk, yes," her sister concedes. "But I've known Alan for years. I also know his story, and trust me Zelena when I tell you I've never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you."

Twisting her fingers, Zelena looks down and bites her lower lip, but she can't help a hopeful smile to pierce through her shyness and insecurities. "Really?"

"Yes!" Regina assures, a hand reaching for her sister's arm, stilling their walk and turning her towards her, locking their gazes when Zelena looks up shyly. "Zelena, if you're sure of what you feel, then don't let your fears blind you. Trust someone who made that mistake," she says with a knowing look. "I wouldn't be where I am now with Robin if I hadn't accepted our feelings. I was stupid for so long trying to convince myself no one could choose me, and I almost lost him forever. I know that given the circumstances, it might be hard to believe, but you  _are_  worthy of love, Zelena!" She adds with a squeeze of her hand. "And if the man you choose is Alan, then you are a lucky one, because he is the sweetest person I've ever met. His loyalty is endless and there's not a hint of meanness in him. If he wants to be with you, he's not playing you, and he won't let anyone get in between you two, I give you my word on that."

Zelena's shyness disappears ever so slightly, smiling a little to herself before turning to look at Regina who gives her a beaming grin in return. Chuckling, Zelena's smile widens to mirror her sister's.

"Alright, I believe you. I'm going to do everything for my relationship with him to work."

Satisfied, Regina nods firmly. "Exactly what I wanted to hear! Accepting your mistakes is the first step towards redemption and happiness, Zelena. Never forget this."

xxx

A week later

She hears the little boy's footsteps before she hears his voice calling her name, and Regina turns around with a radiating smile, crouching and receiving Connor in her arms willingly, catching herself with one hand when her balance is shaken, hugging the boy close.

With her larger belly and his growing body, she can't quite lift him off the ground anymore, and even the hugs are becoming awkward with this obstacle between them, but with reassurance and explanations, also the assurance that Regina won't reduce the time she spends with him, Connor had accepted the change.

When Regina pulls back from him, he's throwing her a toothy grin, asking excitedly. "Can I come play with sheets with you?"

She frowns, looking up at his father in question. "He wants to come to the farm."

Regina  _Oh!_  knowingly, smiling at the child. " _Sheep_ , Connor. Not sheets."

He answers with an excited nod, repeats. "Yup, the sheep! Can I come, Gina? Can I?" He pleads, using his beautiful blue eyes to make her melt like he knows to do so effectively. She bites her lower lip to stop herself from showing him how well it works, before checking with Little John. "Are you okay with this?"

"I don't mind him going with you, he's very enthusiastic about it and I trust you with him. But if you think it's too much work or that he will exhaust you too much, he's staying here. I don't have a problem with that either, I'm working at the camp today, I can watch him."

Regina nods in acknowledgement, looks down at Connor's pleading and hopeful face as he keeps asking, trying to make a mental list of everything that she has to do.

She's going with Arthur and Colin to what is now Granny's farm, to catch up and spend some time with the woman. After all, she receives help from the men mostly, and Regina thinks that a feminine presence could be appreciated. Plus, she misses her, her roughness and sharp, but honest, tongue.

She considers Connor and how she can keep him busy there. Of course, there's Ruby, and the two like each other and can play together, although with Connor they will need a more attentive eye.

Outside? Maybe cleaning the stable as he's used to doing here with his father. Feeding the sheep, since he seems thrilled with the idea.

Inside? Perhaps helping with the food if needed. Smiling at the boy, she winks, nodding at the same time.

"Alright, sweetheart. You can come with me."

"Yaaay!" He yelps excitedly.

" _But_ ," Regina raises a finger in front of him, catching his attention, "you listen to what I say, okay? No wandering off on your own, and you stay close to Arthur, Colin or me." She glances behind her at the two men who are waiting for them, nodding slightly to make her understand their acceptance.

A serious look on his chubby face, Connor says obediently. "Okay, Gina. I p'omise I listen."

"Good," she concludes, pressing a kiss to his brow, cupping his cheek gently and gazing softly at him. She takes the hand Little John is holding out for her to stand up, her other tucked under her belly, supporting its weight.

"Maybe it's best if he rides with one of you." she asks her friends. "He won't have much room with me." She sheepishly waves towards her belly, shrugging.

"No problem." Arthur replies, before addressing Connor. "How about you ride with me, little man?"

Sensing the child's hesitation and disappointment at the prospect of not sitting with her, Regina cups his chin tenderly. "It will be more comfortable for you, sweetheart. And I'm still going to be here, don't worry."

Her reassurance works again, Connor finally nodding and walking to Arthur on his own, waiting diligently while the man is climbing his horse.

Gripping Rocinante's saddle, Regina uses Colin's help to hop on it, her feet getting stuck in her dress for a second, but she manages to sit comfortably. With her on-growing belly, she has no other choice but to wear dresses, her other clothing not fitting her anymore, and not comfortable enough.

Little John kisses his son goodbye, settles him on the saddle in front of Arthur, who just scoots closer to him, securing the boy against his front, one hand on the reins and the other holding him close. Regina watches them, sees Connor's little fingers closing over Arthur's arm as he keeps his head high, proudly looking straight ahead.

This is going to be just another wonderful day.

* * *

_Present_

" _Life was..." Regina stops, tilts her head to the side_ _,_ _"good. It wasn't perfect, because the losses we suffered were still fresh in our minds, but we slowly moved on, a bit more every day. The peace settling in the kingdoms was refreshing, it soothed our pain a little. To know that our friends all over the Enchanted Forest were free to live their lives again, be able to meet them without having to hide, was the best reward we could_ _ever_ _hope for."_

_Regina's eyes cloud suddenly when she remembers a particular fact, a tragic one, even when you consider who it happened to._

" _I... There's something else I forgot to mention. Remember when I said we decided to lock Marian and her husband in their house for the time of her pregnancy?" Regina bites her lip sheepishly. "Something happened. I decided to keep them there, because I knew Marian was too far along to stand the long journey outside the Enchanted Forest that the exile would've imposed. Every piece of wealth, every coin, every jewel was removed from there and the money coming from it was used for a better purpose. They were forced, for the time left of her pregnancy, to live a secluded and simple life. They had what they needed, but nothing more than was strictly necess_ _ary_ _, and guards_ _made_ _sure none of them stepped outside._

_When she_ _went_ _into labor, we sent a midwife there, like planned. Except that nothing went as planned."_

_Regina sighs._

" _Marian did give birth to her child, a strong little boy. But shortly after, while she was being watched over by the midwife during the night, the woman realized she kept losing blood. The midwife asked for a healer to be sent immediately, and the guards fetched one in_ _under_ _an hour. But it was too late. Marian had lost so much blood during the delivery, that everything the man tried, failed. She died less than a day after her child was born._

_Because we thought that having her grave settled near a village full of resentful people wasn't the best idea, we had her body cremated, with her husband's agreement. Later, when he and his son were about to be driven to the far edge of the kingdom towards their exile, I decided to go. Of course, Robin accompanied me. We faced one last time the man who was once known as the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham, the title my husband was now granted with, minus the 'cruel' moniker. I have to admit, Daniel, I felt for him. He made Robin and I go through hell, he beat, killed and hurt so many people, including our friends, yet the true heartbreak in his eyes while mentioning his wife, the amazement on his face every time he was looking down at the baby in his arms, and the care he showed for him, made me feel hope that maybe, this tiny human being who was barely two weeks old, was going to be able to change the nature of his father. That maybe, someone as nasty as the former Sheriff of Nottingham, could walk down the path of redemption."_

* * *

A month earlier

Three weeks later

Regina shares a wry look with her husband, disentangles herself from his hold slowly, closing the small distance separating them from the man and his child hesitantly. She gives the soldiers that will accompany them to the Enchanted Forest's boundaries the parchment holding the terms of their mission, allowing them to pass every town and kingdom without encountering any issues. Then, she locks eyes with the now new father.

She almost doesn't recognize him. It's like every hint of meanness in him is gone, like he's not standing in front of the man and woman he tried to destroy for so long. Regina is almost startled when he speaks slowly, with a rough but calm voice, looking down at the bunch of clothes he's holding, a finger caressing his newborn's cheek.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Regina stares at him for a second, before peaking over the blanket, catching a glimpse of the child and, yes, she has to admit that he is indeed adorable. A small smile forms on her lips, but she keeps her distance, isn't even surprised when she feels Robin's arms protectively wind around her waist, forcing her to slightly step back.

"Indeed he is," she admits softly. "What's his name?"

"Roland. Marian had an older brother, who died a few years ago. He drowned," William explains. "I know she never really chose to marry me, but I did love her. Our life together was mostly made of anger and revenge, but there were moments when I felt close to her. When she was telling me about her brother, that's when I felt like we connected, that she was opening up to me, considering me as her husband and not just her partner in crime. She loved him with all her heart, and from what she and Robert told me he was a good man. I hope my son will follow his steps instead of mine, that he will make up for my mistakes," he finishes, admiring the baby sleeping peacefully in the safety of his arms.

"That's a good reason."

Looking up, he surprises both Regina and Robin when he confesses. "Thank you," In front of their puzzled expressions, he clarifies, glancing down at his son as he continues, "for sparing  _him_. And me. I know people wanted me and Marian dead, but you were thoughtful enough to think of our baby instead of what you were holding against us." He looks down, adds with a shrug, "We didn't have the same strength and wisdom."

Regina feels Robin tense against her side, uneasiness settling in her too, but, unexpectedly, her husband speaks before she does.

"I hope you learned from your misdeeds." The dark-haired man opens his eyes wide when he hears Robin's voice, clearly not expecting him to speak either. "We're giving you a second chance. Not wanting it would be a mistake." He takes one step closer towards his former nemesis. "Take it.  _Use_  it. Evil isn't born, it's made. And so is good. If I were you, I'd consider creating a new destiny. Because if you don't, I'll be right there to rip your son away from you and make you pay for everything you did."

Stepping back, Robin's hand finds his wife's body, wraps around her waist and brings her to his side again, but his eyes don't leave the man and child facing them. With a subtle nod, he gives the soldiers the order they were waiting for, and they lead the former sheriff to the small carriage in which he will be driven to the border. William follows with no protest, and Regina and Robin watch them leave without adding another word.

xxx

Four days later

She glances around regularly, makes sure her husband isn't back. Zelena is keeping watch too, ready to warn her sister if Robin comes back to the camp, so Regina turns her attention to her son again, who is trying very carefully to emboss his father's name and a private message on the leather quiver sprawled on the table.

Robin's birthday is next week, and with Matthew's help, Regina chose a gift, something that her husband could use but would only be his, something that would remind him of his family all the time. They decided on a quiver, one made of a leather smooth enough to be light on the shoulder, but strong enough to carry the dozen arrows it's supposed to contain. It cost Regina a good amount of money, but with what they receive now for their jobs as trainers and sheriffs, she can afford it without fearing the lack of income the following week.

And right now, seeing the young boy putting all of his skills and energy in creating the perfect gift for his father, noticing the way his eyes are sparkling with excitement over the secret project they both share – _Operation Dad's birthday_ , he named it, much to Regina's amusement, she thinks that it was worth every coin she spent.

When Matthew asks her to check his work, she does, and honestly, aside from a little irregularity in some letters, for a boy his age, it's excellent, although she's fairly certain that Robin will love and cherish every flaw.

"You did great, Matthew. This is a really good job," she compliments, smiling back at the beaming face looking up at her.

"Do you think Dad's gonna like it?" He asks apprehensively, biting his lower lip.

Regina brings a hand to the boy's head, strokes his hair softly. "He's going to love it!" She assures, kissing his forehead. "Especially when he knows how much effort you put into it."

"I can't wait for him to see it."

Regina chuckles, squeezes Matthew's neck gently. "Me too. But we need to wrap it properly first." She reaches for the paper in front of her, spreads it on the table while Matthew lifts the quiver. She helps him wrap it, then follows him to his tent, finding the perfect hiding spot in his drawer, before gathering the boy in her arms when he snuggles against her side.

"Thank you, mom."

Regina pulls back a little, but keeps her son as close as possible, despite the large belly between them.

"For what, honey?"

"For this," Matthew answers, cuddling closer to show her what he's talking about. "For my family."

She smiles against his forehead, pressing another kiss there, before sending a hand down, grabbing the boy's and leading it to her curve, his palm held against the lower part of it.

"And given the strong kicks this one is giving, I think he or she is really excited to have you as a big brother."

Matthew slightly leans back, just enough to cast his gaze down and stare in awe at his hand, where he feels the growing child in his mother's belly against his palm a couple of times.

"Wow!" He breathes, still amazed. "That feels weird," he frowns, then chuckles. "And unbelievable!" he says excitedly, before looking up at his mother. "Is the baby this active all the time?"

"It depends," Regina shrugs. "Today, it is."

A ruffle behind them makes them turn around, facing Zelena, who enters the tent quickly.

"Robin just came back. Are you two finished?"

Regina nods, smiling at her sister. "Yes, we are. Thank you, Zelena."

Wrapping an arm around her son's shoulders, Regina walks with him outside the tent.

xxx

Five days later

Regina wakes up before her husband, and she's glad.

Today is the day.

Today is Robin's birthday, and she is more than excited about it.

Last year, they didn't celebrate. With the loss of their baby, the death of Leopold and Cora taking over the Kingdom, no one was in the mood for celebrating, and Robin even told them very clearly that he didn't want a party.

So Regina feels like she has to make up for the previous one, and this time it has to be perfect. She planned everything in secret, and she can't wait to see his reaction.

But for now, she wants her husband to wake up, and be the first one to wish him a happy birthday.

She rolls on her side the best she can with her belly hampering her movements, snuggles against his side, lifts a hand to brush his face tenderly, smiling lovingly and pressing a kiss to his temple. He stirs, but doesn't wake, so she trails her fingers along his chest, chuckling when he shivers and sighs contently.

She kisses his temple again, and from there starts a path along his cheek, until her lips are kissing the corner of his mouth. It's only then that he actually moves, turning his head to meet her, his eyes still closed but given the kiss she receives, he's definitely awake.

Regina cups his cheek when she pulls back, meeting the blue orbs of her husband, who's gazing at her with sleepy but shining eyes, a hand moving to caress the curve of her abdomen.

"Happy birthday, my lovely husband." Regina whispers, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose, gladly accepting another kiss.

"Thank you, my beautiful wife," Robin answers when he pulls back, still stroking her belly. "How did you two sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually. For once, baby decided to sleep, instead of throwing a party starting at midnight."

"Good." Bringing a hand to his wife's face, pushing away some strands of hair, Robin frowns. "Your skin is burning up, Regina. Do you feel alright?"

Regina nods firmly, smiling reassuringly. "Yes. It happens regularly now. The midwife told me it was normal, especially considering the hot weather."

Still concerned, Robin raises on his elbow, palm flat on his wife's forehead. "Well, normal or not, maybe a bath in the river will help?" In front of Regina's nod, he presses his lips to her forehead before removing the covers. "Come on! Put your cloak on, I'll take care of everything else."

They walk hand by hand to the river, until Robin stops to drop the towels and ointments on the shore, before helping his wife to rid herself of her clothes. He leads her into the water, but barely seconds after he begins to wet her warm skin with the cold liquid, she turns towards him, gathers his face between her hands, and kisses him deeply.

Surprised at first, Robin soon responds, opening his mouth and holding his wife against him the best he can. He can feel her hand head south between their bodies, brushing against his shaft, before fully wrapping around it, stroking lazily, but he knows she's only building a rhythm. Her effect on him is quick to show, and the lack of sex due to her condition has made him more than receptive to her touch. But hearing her moans mixed with his, the way she clumsily attempts to roll her hips forward, she seems to crave that touch just as much as he is. And there's no way he's doing this without her.

Breaking the kiss, Robin circles her wrist, pulling it away under her puzzled gaze, to which he answers with a crooked smile.

"Turn around, my love." When she lifts an eyebrow in question, he murmurs, "trust me."

She does as told then, lets him wrap an arm around her middle. He tells her to use the smooth rock in front of her as a leverage as he helps her bend forward, parting her legs with the pressure of his foot, dropping a kiss to the back of her neck and earning a shiver in reward.

His free hand falls between her thighs, testing, but she's definitely more than ready for him, despite the lack of stimulation she received. Slowly, Robin presses his erection against her rear, then guides it until it brushes over her entrance, and Regina releases a breath in realization.

This is not a position they've tried before, because they both prefer to see each other and sex between them is pretty amazing no matter what, but right now, considering the obstacle standing between them and the urgent need they can't suppress, Robin finds it quite attractive.

" _Oh God_!" Regina lets out, her head falling forward when he enters her, her entire body reacting to him, goosebumps flaring on her skin, a shiver making her quake in his hold.

"I know," he can't help but reply.

He goes slow first, enjoys the reunion, the connection between their bodies, the way Regina welcomes each of his thrusts with an appreciative moan and a buck of her hips backward. He takes his time, pulls back almost completely before entering her as deep as possible, his jaw slacked and eyes closed, overwhelmed with the pleasure seizing him.

This is just perfect... Them, like this, making one. This is heaven and he doesn't want to come back to earth.

But then, she calls his name, pleads him actually, requests for more, harder,  _faster_ , and he's happy to oblige.

He adjusts their positions, gets a good hold on her, and then speeds up, pounding hard inside her, water flopping around them, the sound of skin flapping against skin muffled by the river, but still noticeable in the silence of the forest.

Regina's moans are loud and fully throated now, and Robin's are too.

He keeps going for as long as he can, teasing one of her breast first, then settling between her thighs when he feels his release close. He doesn't want to come without her, so he begins to rub in circles over her clit, and it appears to be more effective than he thought. It sets her off like a wire, Regina's walls beginning to flutter, then squeezing tightly around him as she comes with a relieved cry. After this, Robin lets go, focuses on keeping his thrusts at the same rhythm, until soon he joins her to release, sagging on her back but keeping enough sense and strength to keep them both upright, despite their jelly-like legs and erratic breaths.

It's Regina who pulls away first, taking support onto the rock before turning to face him, her face flushed, breathless, but she looks as stunning as always.

"This was...  _Wow_!" She exclaims on an exhale, leaning against his chest and snuggling in his open arms.

"Amazing," he adds, rubbing her back, peppering kisses to the top of her head.

"Yeah," she agrees. Slowly, she pulls back, looking at him with so much tenderness and love it makes his heart stop for a second. "I love you, Robin."

He locks their lips for a lazy kiss, and when they part, murmurs between them. "I love you too, Regina. More than anything."

xxx

A few hours later

They settle for a private birthday picnic in the meadow, and as they finish eating, Regina watches in awe as her son and husband debate animatedly the sex of their baby -Robin anticipating a boy (although she knows he'd be happy with a girl too), and Matthew arguing that it's a girl.

They will celebrate with their friends tonight, but they wanted to share a special moment, only the four of them.

"Mom needs another girl in the family, besides aunt Zelena, we're all men!" He exclaims with the genuineness of his age, his parents chuckling at his logic, Regina's hand raising to cup the back of his head.

"It's really kind of you to think of me, honey! Unfortunately, I have no power over this, and whether this baby is going to be a boy or a girl, I will love it just as strongly as I love the two of you."

"Do you have an idea?" Matthew questions. "Can you like, I don't know,  _feel_  it?"

Regina ducks her head to the side, smiles kindly. "Not really. I can feel the baby move and react to your presence and voices," she says, glancing between the boy and Robin, "but that's all."

"The baby reacts to me?" Matthew questions in awe.

"Yes, honey. You are its big brother, the baby is impatient to meet you."

Staring at her abdomen, Matthew replies. "I can't wait either. How long is it going to be before it's here?"

"About two or three months." Grabbing the large bag behind her in which she has hidden Robin's present, Regina hands it to Matthew with a wink. "In the meantime, why don't you give this to your father?"

The boy's eyes light up with excitement, the prospect of offering the gift he made with his mom to his dad has him forgetting about his future sibling. He takes the bag from her, looks over at Robin, who's giving them a falsely suspicious look.

"What is this?" He questions seriously, although he knows the answer very well.

"It's your birthday gift!" Matthew replies happily. "Mom and I made it for you!"

Robin plays along, lifts an eyebrow as he takes the bag and starts to open it, glancing at his wife who's very well aware of his game and is suppressing a chuckle.

But when he discovers his present, the act is gone, his eyes open wide in pure astonishment, his fingers caressing the leather of the quiver softly, content.

"Wow..." He says softly. "This is really beautiful," he murmurs, amazed, still a bit stunned and surprised, obviously not expecting something like this.

"Turn it!" Regina urges, catching her husband's attention, tilting her head towards the quiver in his hands. "There's something on the other side."

Robin silently obeys, and Regina can swear there are tears gathering in his eyes when he discovers the embossed message, tears that he blinks back when he looks up at his wife and son, but his eyes stay glassy.

"Did you do this?" He questions with a slightly wobbly voice, overwhelmed.

"Matthew chose the message and wrote it himself," Regina explains, looking proudly at the suddenly shy young boy next to them, who's not looking away from his father, waiting anxiously.

Robin lets go of the quiver, and brings his son close, holding him tight against him, kissing his head, his temple, his forehead, then cupping his cheeks so they're looking at each other.

"Thank you, son! I love you too,  _so much_."

"Does that mean you like it?" Matthew asks, despite the obvious answer.

Robin looks down at the quiver, to the message carved into the leather.

_To the best husband and dad_

_We'll love you forever_

_Happy birthday_

_Regina, Matthew & Baby Hood_

"I love it!" Robin assures, pressing his forehead against Matthew's, then hugging him again, repeating the three words in his ear once more, before he pulls back, kissing his cheek one last time and turning towards his wife. "Thank you, my love!"

Regina scoots closer, pecking his lips before he can continue. "I'm glad you like it. There's just one more thing you should know about it."

"Tell me!"

"It's enchanted," Regina reveals carefully, unsure as to how her husband will react to the fact that his present contains magic. "I worked on a spell with Zelena and Tinkerbell, so it's always filled with arrows. The moment you put an arrow inside of this quiver, it will never empty, you can shoot an unlimited amount of arrows without ever having to refill it."

Robin gazes down at the quiver, fingers brushing over the leather. "It's perfect! The best gift ever, made by the people I love most. I couldn't have asked for anything better." Glancing up at his family, he adds. "I just have one question."

"Shoot!"

Robin takes the leather and points the message to his wife and son. "Baby  _Hood_?"

Regina bursts out laughing, Matthew acting sheepish.

"Your son's idea."

"Yeah, you know?" Matthew says excitedly. "Like your name : Robin Hood!"

"Technically, my family name is Locksley."

For once, surprising his parents, Matthew replies with a confidence he usually doesn't have, even if the playful tone he uses shows his amusement. "But Hood sounds better."

Robin's brow shoots up, and he leans forward, trying to look threatening but his wife's chuckle and Matthew's laugh are enough proof that they understood he is playing a game.

"Are you mocking my name, young man?"

Matthew bites his lip playfully, glances at his mother, and Regina mouths, amused. "I suggest you start running. You don't want him to catch you, do you?"

Right before Robin's hand reaches him, Matthew jumps back, gets up, laughing and starts to run in the open field, glancing behind him at his father, who's already up and following him.

Regina is abandoned on the blanket, but she doesn't mind. She watches her boys playing in the large meadow, Robin running after Matthew to catch him and the young boy happily laughing trying to avoid him.

That's when she feels it, that wave of love spreading through her entire being. In moments like this, it doesn't leave her, it's a permanent presence, one that she very much enjoys. This feeling is good, refreshing, soothing, reminding her that all the sacrifices were worth it... Somehow. The losses are here, the pain never totally leaves them, but the sacrifices weren't in vain.

Regina presses her palms to her abdomen, her baby kicking with more strength than usual, drawing her out of her thoughts, until she realizes that Robin is joining her with Matthew thrown over his shoulder, both laughing.

The boy is deposited on the blanket next to his mother, and he immediately cuddles against Regina, resting his head on her shoulder, his breath slowing down.

She waves a hand in Matthew's dark locks, turning her head to kiss his forehead. "It seems that you two had a lot of fun."

"Yeah!" He answers breathily. "Dad's fast."

"Dad caught you!" Robin reminds, sending a hand forward to tickle the boy, who squirms to avoid him.

When her husband leans back on his spot, and Matthew sags against her again, Regina takes the boy's hand, leads it to her belly, where she can feel the strong kicks of her baby.

Matthew startles at first, but soon recovers, pressing his palm flat against Regina's curve, bending to bring his mouth close to his hand.

"I'm so impatient to meet you, little one! I know there's still a few months before you get out of there, but once you're out, I'm gonna help mom and dad to take care of you..." He glances at his father, who's looking at him with soft eyes. "And when you're big enough, you and I are gonna team up to beat dad when we play!"

xxx

Two days later

"Be careful," Zelena warns. "You're losing control."

Regina breathes in deeply, centers herself and relaxes her shoulders, focuses on what she's doing.

Her magic comes easily now, her training with Zelena and Tinkerbell is helping a lot, but keeping her emotions under control is still tricky. Whenever she lets go, she has a tendency to get easily carried away by either endless love or dangerous anger.

She tries to wield both, to use a combination of the myriad of feelings she can experience, to take something from each event that occurred, from her baby's and Amelia's deaths to the creation of the new family she forms with Robin, Matthew and her unborn child.

She's training in the forest with her sister and friend, in a cleared area so they won't risk hurting anyone. And right now, Regina is piling up wood, lifting the logs in the air before organizing them in a perfect pile, but at Zelena's warning she realizes her mistake. Too caught up in the lovely memory of the picnic she shared with her husband and son a couple of days before, she didn't realize that, as the magic was flooding through her with more force every second, she was also increasing the speed with which she's magically transporting the logs, making them cross the field too fast, their trajectory a bit curved instead of straight. Indeed, not fully under control.

She refocuses, breathes in and out. She slows down the pace, rectifies the trajectory, and finishes the exercise without any other problems.

"Zelena?" Regina calls, once they're settled on the ground to take a break and eat something. "You know, you're helping me a lot dealing with my magic, but I noticed something about yours."

"What?" The redhead asks, biting into an apple.

"Why do you refuse to use your magic to heal?" In front of Zelena's guilty expression and Tinkerbell's curious eyes, she quickly adds, reassuring her sister. "It's not a reproach, I just remember how you avoided my question when I mentioned the fact that it was something I was hoping to learn to do."

"Oh..." Zelena shifts uncomfortably on the sprawled blanket. "Well... Healing isn't something I was taught, and the only time I tried to do it, Robin almost died, so..."

Regina puts a hand on her sister's arm, gently catching her attention and drawing her gaze to her. "You aren't responsible for the curse, or spell, or whatever he was infected with."

"Your sister's right," Tinkerbell assures. "It wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"Zelena," Regina cuts. "Do you remember that moment the way we do?" Considering her sister's puzzled look, she explains. "You were trying to  _heal_  him! Maybe the fact that you treated his injury triggered the spell, I don't know, but it wasn't your magic that caused it. Tinkerbell was there too, she agrees with me."

"I do. You're blaming yourself for nothing. The situation was quite unique, you did everything you could."

"And Robin almost died!" Zelena reminds.

"Yes!" Tinkerbell concedes. "But  _not_  because of you. If you didn't try to save him, if the spell had stayed silent, Robin would've died from the stab."

"You didn't hurt him that day, Zelena. And I'm going to prove it to you!" Regina exclaims, reaching for the knife at her belt, stretching her hand out above the ground and not the blanket, wincing when she slices her palm deeply.

The two other women immediately bend towards her, eyes wide.

"Regina!" Tinkerbell scolds.

"What are you doing?" Zelena panics, removing the knife from Regina's hand and reaching for a cloth, about to press it on the wound, but her sister moves her hand away, declares firmly.

"Heal me."

Zelena opens incredulous eyes. "What?"

"Heal me," Regina repeats calmly. "I'm going to prove to you that you can trust your magic, and yourself. So go ahead!"

Tinkerbell glances between the two women, notices the determination in the brunette's gaze, the way she's decided to make Zelena believe in herself. After everything she's seen in this war, after what she knows both sisters went through, she can only support Regina's decision.

Zelena is still staring at her sister, glances down at the bleeding hand hesitantly. But soon, she moves to cup it, swallowing hard as she holds Regina's palm open, and raises her free hand. She's about to try, about to release her magic, but she stops, questions. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Regina lets out an exasperated sigh, ducks her head to the side, watches her sister sympathetically. "Yes, Zelena, I'm sure! Do you really think I like to inflict injuries to myself? That I haven't had enough of them lately?" Calming her tone, she encourages, "I trust you, Zelena. I know you won't hurt me."

Her sister finally nods, firmly this time, takes a deep breath and places her hand above her sister's. She closes her eyes, and when she opens them, she can see a flow of green magic leaving her fingers, and covering the wound.

But the second it touches Regina's skin, something strange happens.

XXX

_The little brunette's hands are sliding over the box, and she jumps when it opens suddenly. She discovers a long, thin and black wand. A wand that she takes immediately, so content to have found a new object to play with, recognizing it as her mother's. She never got access to it before, but she won't let her chance pass. Plus, her mother would never hurt her, there's no reason why her wand would be dangerous._

_She takes it, swings it in the air, sending her arm forward, swirling around, facing the doll she left on her mother's desk a few moments before. And an idea grows in her mind. Maybe this magical wand can make her life less boring than it already is. Maybe it can help her get what she really wants, what she really needs. Maybe it can erase that loneliness she's burdened with, weigh_ _ing_ _over her shoulders every damn day. Maybe thank_ _s_ _to it, she w_ _on't_ _be alone anymore._

_So Regina wishes. "You can be my sister."_

_Her hand sends the wand forward, but the blast of magic created turns against her, projecting her backward_ _until she lands_ _on the ground, unconscious._

XXX

_The girl stares at the frozen figure of her father, confused and afraid. He's standing still in front of her, hand hanging mid-air, about to hit her, but… he's not moving. He's still, but his eyes are open, his body is up, so he must be alive. But how? Did she unconsciously do this? Did she use her magic against her own father?_

_She stares down at her hands, stunned, lost._

" _I'm sorry, father. I don't know how it happened. I don't understand."_

" _You don't need to worry, child. You didn't do anything. I did."_

_Zelena turns around, faces a woman in a beautiful outfit, a purple one, definitely too expensive for this part of Oz._

_However, her curiosity is all about something else. "You have magic?"_

" _Yes."_

_Zelena hesitates, can't bring herself to step back, but doesn't step forward either. "Are you a good witch or...?"_

" _Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm a good witch." The woman says with a smile. "Your father's wrong to make you feel badly for being who you are. What you have is a gift. Would you like the chance to show him that your magic isn't wicked?"_

" _How?"_

" _By helping someone very dear to me." It doesn't take Zelena long to decide. She nods her agreement, relaxes. She can finally do something good out of her powers._

_When she replies, the woman seems pleased with her answer. "Oh, good! Come then!" Sensing the girl's hesitation, she holds her hand out for her. "Come on!"_

_And Zelena takes it._

XXX

_Zelena holds her palms above the girl's body, letting the magic flood freely, barely aware of the woman who requested her help and is now searching through books for something she ignores. Instead, she focuses on healing, on saving this little girl, on doing something good._

_The witch stops when she sees what Zelena is doing._

" _How do you... know how to do that?"_

_The answer flows from her as an evidence. "I wanted to use my magic to help someone for so long. It just... came to me."_

_She keeps going, green magic leaving her palms, covering the brunette's body, and it's only when Zelena sees her open her eyes that she stops, stepping back._

" _Oh, my darling girl!"_

_But the girl doesn't seem to pay attention to her mother. Instead, she stares straight at Zelena. Not with fear, but more like something that resembles… Curiosity?_

" _Who's that?"_

" _The girl whose magic saved you from yourself_ _,_ _" Her mother answers, slightly scolding._

_The girl doesn't answer, but she sits up, seems interested, so Zelena introduces herself. She might not come from a wealthy family, but she knows the good manners. "I'm Zelena. What's your name?"_

" _Regina."_

_XXX_

" _We don't have to stop playing, do we? I'm sure your mother is going to take me home soon_ _,_ _" Zelena says, slightly worried._

_Regina's enthusiasm doesn't fade. "Of course not! We can play princesses." She opens the drawer where the wand is hidden, the box revealed to Zelena's eyes. She retrieves a necklace made of purple's pearls. "Here!"_

_But Zelena's eyes have been attracted by something else. She stares down at the box, the one Regina knows was carrying her mother's wand._

" _What's that?"_

" _It's the box my mother uses to keep her wand in."_

_Zelena sends her hand forward, caresses the crafted wood._

" _It's beautiful."_

_But the second she pulls her hand back, the second she breaks contact, the superior part of the box rises, opening instantly._

_Regina frowns, sounding so astonished that Zelena feels confused._

" _How did you do that?"_

" _What do you mean? I just touched it and it opened."_

" _But that box was sealed with blood magic_ _,_ _" The brunette informs. "There's no way you should've been able to open it. Unless..." She looks down, lost in her thoughts, her sentence left unfinished._

" _Unless what?"_

_Regina gazes up with hopeful eyes and a widening smile. "Do you think... could we be... related?"_

" _Why wouldn't your mother have told us?" Zelena points. Although, she begins to smile too, enthralled with the idea._

" _I don't know. We have to ask her."_

XXX

_Regina and Zelena stops in front of Cora, Zelena carrying the open box._

" _We've been looking for you."_

_Staring down at the box in the redhead's arms, the woman replies flatly._

" _So I see."_

_Sensing her mother's disappointment, Regina tries to explain. "Zelena and I were just playing and-"_

" _I opened it by accident_ _,_ _" Zelena cuts her, afraid to see her new friend take the blame. "I wasn't trying to, I promise."_

_Calmly, Regina resumes. "We were just wondering... Doesn't that mean...?"_

" _Yes_ _,_ _" Cora admits. "You and Zelena are sisters."_

_Amazement grows in Regina's dark orbs, a smile breaking her made-up face, while Zelena is swallowing down the shock from the revelation._

" _Why didn't you tell us?"_

" _I wasn't sure you'd understand."_

_Regina steps in front of Zelena, standing in front of her mother. She speaks her mind as if it was an evidence._

" _If she's my sister, shouldn't we be a family?"_

_Cora caresses the side of her face, smiles. "Would that make you happy, Regina?"_

" _Yes! More than anything!"_

_Her enthusiasm is broken the second Cora opens her mouth, the coldness of her tone and attitude tempering the child's happiness and extinguishing her smile. "I can't tell you how disappointed that makes me."_

" _What?"_

" _Didn't you hear anything I said earlier or did the magic just knock it out of your head? You can only depend on yourself, and sometimes that means you have to make the hard decision."_

" _But she saved my life_ _,_ _" Regina argues._

" _Do you know what will happen if people find out about her?" Cora says, tilting her chin towards Zelena without even bothering to look at her. "Everything I've been trying to do for you, a good marriage, a chance to be queen, it will all be over."_

" _But I don't care about any of that."_

" _Well, I do_ _,_ _" Cora lifts two fingers towards the men across the room, before turning to her daughters. "One day I hope you'll be strong enough to make decisions like this on your own. Until you are, I'll just have to make them for you."_

_The men seize Zelena by her arms, starting to pull her backward and away from her sister, away from her family._

_Regina turns to Cora, all the while holding Zelena's hands, pleads. "Mother, please, don't do this!"_

" _I promise I'll be good!" Zelena screams._

_But the girls' pleadings hit a stone wall. "Take her away."_

"Regina _!" Zelena screams again, trying to escape but powerless. Her sister, attempts to hold her back, fails, doesn't look away._

" _Don't worry, Zelena! No matter what she does, we're sisters, and nothing can change that! I will find you, I promise!"_

" _Actually, you won't." The flat tone of Cora has the young girl swirl around, breathless from her screams. "Because you won't remember any of this ever happened. And she won't remember you either."_

XXX

Both women jump back, eyes wide, incredulity written in them. Regina's hand is healed, but they've both forgotten about it, instead try to turn their breathing back to normal as they both feel as if they just raced and hit a wall at full speed.

"Are you two alright?" Tinkerbell asks. She's watched the whole scene in silence, worried, unable to actually see what the girls saw but she felt everything, was overwhelmed with the magic. The knowledge of what was just revealed hit her as strongly as if she had seen the same vision as the two sisters.

"What just happened?" Zelena questions, eyes meeting her sister's.

"I think... I think it was... it  _is_... a memory?" Regina answers, ducks her head to the side and evaluates her own answer.

Zelena knits her brow in confusion. "You think we met once, and she hid it from us?"

"She made us  _forget_ ," Regina corrects. "It does sound like something she would have done. What she said, the way she talked to me, how she treated you..." She shakes her head. "This is the woman I knew."

"She willingly separated us," the redhead murmurs, still processing what they just learned. "She used me to heal you, and then threw me away again." Her sister takes her hand, squeezes sympathetically before she looks up at her as she says the next words. "She ignored your wishes. She forced you to marry the King."

"What I told you that day in the forest was the truth. She did kill the man I loved so I could be Queen."

"I still can't believe that I stood by her for months."

"Zelena," Regina scoots closer on the blanket, takes both her sister's hands in hers. "You wanted a mother. You didn't know her, you didn't know who she truly was."

"But I saw what she did to you and Robin on that road, and-"

"And you helped us," Regina cuts her. "Zelena, we already talked about this. The past is the past. Now, our mother is gone, and we are finally free to do whatever we want with our lives. Don't waste any more time dwelling on regrets. Plus, do you remember what you told her while you were healing me?"

"That I wanted to help people with my magic?"

The brunette nods in agreement. "Look where you are now, what you can do with it," she shows her healed palm to her sister. "You've fulfilled your wish."

It takes a second for Zelena to react, to accept the truth, the  _whole_  truth, and finally she's nodding, smiles at her sister.

"Ok, maybe-" Regina startles, brings a hand to her stomach.

"Are you alright?"

The answer is a low chuckle, and Regina's hand covers hers and guides it to her belly, searching for a second before stopping on her right side, gaze down, waiting.

The kick hitting Zelena's palm is strong, surprises her too, and she pulls back to see a smile breaking Regina's face, her eyes glistening with happiness.

"That was a strong one!"

"Yeah. It's getting stronger everyday." The pregnant young woman rubs her hand over where her child is, thoughtful. And then she addresses Zelena. "You see? I'm gonna have a child, and you're going to be an aunt. I just don't want to think of everything we had to go through to finally be sitting here together."

xxx

Ten days later

The boy opens his bag, pulls half of its contents out, huffing with annoyance when he doesn't find what he's looking for.

"It's not here!" He pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

Regina comes behind him, carding fingers through his hair.

"We have to go soon, Matthew. Maybe we can find another book for you to read while we're at the castle?"

"But I wanted to read on the journey there!" He argues, stomping his foot. "We'll be there in only three days. What am I gonna do during the time spent on the road and in your old house?"

"I'm sure you can find many things to do," Regina says kindly, trying to tamper down the harsh tone he just used with her.

"Not before going to bed! I always read before going to bed, you know that!" Matthew snaps.

" _Hey_!"

Mother and son turn around at the strong voice, watching Robin coming their way, clearly displeased with what he hears. "Don't speak to your mother like that, do you understand?" In front of Matthew's annoyed nod, he adds. "And drop the attitude! You're acting like a spoiled kid. Keep this up and you'll stay at the camp instead of coming with us!"

The boy gazes down, shoulders sagging, releasing a sigh.

"I'm sorry," he mutters.

"I can't hear you," Robin counteracts.

Matthew looks up at his parents, takes a hesitant step forward.

"I'm sorry, mom," he says clearly this time. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Regina smiles down at him, opens her arms and welcomes him in her embrace when he cuddles against her.

"It's forgiven. But don't make a scene for a book. I know you love to read, but there's more important things in life than losing yourself in a story. We have a couple of hours before we have to go, but if we can't find it, it's not the end of the world, alright?"

She can see a glimpse of disappointment in his eyes, but he agrees. "Alright."

"Found it!"

Zelena enters the tent, a large book with a green thick cover in hand.

Matthew rushes towards her, grabs it immediately, holding it to his chest. "Thanks, aunt Zelena!" And then he goes back to his bag, carefully wrapping it in one of his shirts, before shoving his clothes inside with definitely less care than he did with the book.

"Where was it?" Robin questions, him and his wife walking closer to the woman.

"In my tent. I must have brought it there last time we read together."

"Well, you just saved us by finding it. He would've been in a foul mood during the whole trip if he didn't have his book," Regina says, low enough so the boy wouldn't hear.

"My pleasure. Are you all set?"

"Almost. I'm going to see if Little John is done gathering Connor's things, and then if you and Alan are ready, maybe we can leave sooner? That way we can reach our first stop before night fall."

"Works for me."

Snow White invited the whole camp to her coronation, but of course not everyone could go. They couldn't leave the place deserted, nor abandon their jobs for all ten days needed to travel there and back, and attend the ceremony.

So it had been decided that Regina and Robin would represent the camp, and Matthew was going with them, along with Connor, and consequently, Little John. Zelena and Alan also chose to accompany them. The Merry Men felt that this way, with three of their four initial members there, they were fully represented.

Since things had finally settled, and since she was finally given the chance to, Regina had voiced a request. To go to Daniel's grave for the very first time, where her father told her it was, on top of a hill near the house where she grew up.

They decided to spend two nights there, so that would leave Regina a full day to close definitely this chapter of her life, before riding to the soon-to-be new Queen of this Kingdom.

* * *

_Present_

" _So that's it, Daniel. You know everything_ _,_ _" Regina says with a small smile. "All those years, I missed_ _you so much, and I_ _never forgot about you, but I found my path. I first became a woman, and then a wife. Now I am a mother, I'm going to have a baby. I know who I am, and that's partly thanks to you."_

_She brings a hand over her stomach suddenly, casting her gaze down with a frown, rubbing slowly, and then smiling, glancing behind her._

_She grins at her husband, who join_ _s_ _her, climbing the hill, crouching next to her, a hand coming to rest between her shoulder blades._

" _The_ _baby felt you coming_ _,_ _" she says, biting her lower lip, taking her husband's hand and resting it on her curve._

_The kicks are strong and frantic, calming immediately after her husband starts rubbing in circles, the child apparently pleased. Its father's presence always soothes it._

" _Easy there," Robin calls softly. "I'm here. No need to hurt your mommy."_

_Regina leans against him, enjoying the feeling, the communication between her child and husband. She feels Robin's lips on her forehead, the way he scoots closer to support her._

" _Tired?" he questions._

" _A little."_

" _Well, it's getting late, and you just spent the whole day here. We're about to have dinner. You must be hungry, you only had a sandwich and an apple for lunch."_

" _I'm fine, but I wouldn't turn down some real food_ _,_ _" she admits, pulling back. "But first," She looks at the gravestone, smiling. "Daniel, this is Robin. He's my husband, the father of my children."_

_Robin kneels down next to her, following her gaze. "I'm glad I finally get to be here, Daniel, even if you're not able to answer. I've heard so many good things about you. Believe me, Regina held onto you for a long time, had a lot of trouble letting you go." Regina chuckles sheepishly "But now that I have her and that we are finally free, I promise you that I'm working every day to make her the happiest woman on_ _all the realms_ _."_

_His wife catches his chin, turns his face towards her. "And so far, you're succeeding."_

_She presses her lips to his, lingers for a second or two, before looking back at the headstone._

" _I have to go, Daniel. I hope that wherever you are, you found the same peace as I have_ _,_ _" She pauses, uses that time to get up, Robin supporting her as she stands with difficulty, a little dizzy from the lack of balance and the long hours spent sitting on the ground. She steps off the blanket so Robin can gather her_ _things_ _, takes his hand, and sends one last look_ _to_ _her former lover's grave._

" _Thank you, for everything. I will always love you, Daniel. Because of everything that happened since I met you, now, I have the most resilient heart one could hope for. That's my biggest strength."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About Roland. Why 'giving' him to the former sheriff? My reasons are simple : First, I always believed that Marian chose his name in the show, and that it came from someone in her family (as it was often the case too). Second, by making him William's son, Roland becomes our Henry from the show. The moment William sees him, something changes in him, and he decides to change for his son. That way, Roland becomes William's way to redemption, his motivation, the person to whom he will do his best to change for the better, exactly like Henry was Regina's motivation to change in S2. In my mind, that's a beautiful role. I totally understand your frustration and why you may disagree, but like every one of the choices I made in this story (like killing Amelia or OQ's first baby), I tell you, I made them to fit a bigger picture. I give a meaning to everything I do, or at least I try my best to succeed on that path.


	31. You're my future : Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third and last part of this story! Hope you'll enjoy it. And please, don't hesitate to leave a review ;-)

Three days after Regina left Daniel's grave

"Mom?"

Regina adjusts Matthew's shirt, hums in response, waiting for his question.

"Do I have to call Snow  _'Your Highness'_  once she's Queen?"

She looks up to her boy, arranging a wild strand of hair on the side of his head, smiling. "I don't know, honey. You'll have to ask her. Usually, it's up to the royal to decide if he or she agrees to let some people be that familiar with them. But I think when you're in public, you should. It shows that you respect her."

"But she's my friend! I call my friends by their name and it doesn't mean I'm being disrespectful."

"It's different with a King or a Queen, Matthew."

"How?"

"It's... difficult to explain." She stops arranging his outfit, straightens up, her hand reaching out for his neck, leading him to the couch before inviting him to sit with her. "The royals are considered to be ' _above_ ' the people. You're not allowed to touch them, you have to show them respect, you should be  _more_  respectful to them than you would with someone else. Calling them by their title is part of that."

"But they're just  _people!"_ Matthew argues very naïvely. Regina chuckles, understands his reasoning too much. He, without realizing, just pointed out one of the reasons she sent Snow White to learn real life in a small farm. "Last time we were here, we didn't have to act differently around her."

"Yes, but she wasn't Queen then."

"This whole thing is way too complicated for me," he sighs. "I'm gonna mess up everything."

Regina smiles, brushes his hair tenderly and drops a kiss to the top of his head. "You won't, Matthew. Snow is your friend, if you make a mistake and someone points it out to you, she'll defend you."

"But I don't want to embarrass her."

"I don't see why you would." She tilts his chin up. "Now, stop thinking about it, and everything will be just fine."

"You're sure?"

She takes his face between her hands, closes the space between them before whispering, "I am." She kisses his forehead, hugs him tightly when he wraps his arms around her waist, her thumb rubbing his temple. "And to be honest, I'm sure that Snow is more worried than you are about making a mistake today."

xxx

"So, when the Lord High Chancellor summons me, I'll have to slowly and gracefully walk to him, and sit on the throne. Then he'll ask me if I am willing to take the oath, and after my acceptance, he will ask if I solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of this Kingdom and all of its territories, and my Possessions according to our respective laws and customs, to which I'll say 'I solemnly promise so to do', and-  _humph"_ Snow White cranes her neck to look at Johanna behind her, who's tying her corset. "Does this have to be so tight? I can barely breathe."

"It isn't tighter than your other dresses, princess."

"Well, it feels like it is though!"

Ruth approaches the girl, grabs her hands, catching her attention. "Maybe you're just a lot more anxious today than usual, Snow?"

The princess sighs, drops her head, then looks up with a sheepish smile. "I must be. I'm sorry, Johanna."

"Don't worry, princess. Today is an important day for you."

"It is." The girl breathes. "And everyone is here. I have to prove them that I can be a good Queen."

"You already have, Snow," Ruth replies gently. "These last months, when you and David traveled the two kingdoms to re-establish justice and freedom, you've already shown them the path you are going to take. They trust you. They trust you as their ruler. You are loved and accepted by your people. And if you're worried about a certain brunette," she winks at the princess, who blushes guiltily, "I am certain that Regina couldn't be prouder of you. And knowing her, she will probably tell you so after the ceremony."

xxx

The crowd is gathered in the main room of the castle, decorated for the occasion with Snowbells adorning the walls, (being the soon-to-be-Queen's favorite flowers). The long and thick curtains covering the large windows have been tied to let the sunlight illuminate the room.

People are silently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Regina glances at David, who looks incredibly handsome in his ensemble, standing next to his mother and Johanna, waiting at the bottom of the staircase leading to the Royal Throne. His own coronation will happen in a few months, but today he knows he's there supporting Snow White. Regina can see how much he's changed. He looks very well put together. Head held high, a proud and fierce gaze covering his features, and with the stance and confidence of a true Royal, one he didn't have three months ago when she left him to live a prince's life.

She feels a hand wrap around her middle, pulling her to someone's side, and she smiles at Robin, leans against him, gladly accepting the kiss he drops on her forehead. He knows it's now become hard for her to stand still for a long time, and they've been waiting for a while now. Her back indeed hurts, the muscles on her abdomen stir with the weight of her belly, so she brings a hand down to support it, rests by holding on to Robin's strong body and welcoming his tender touch.

Matthew stands next to his father, trying to stay straight and proud, although Regina can see a little bit of anxiety peeking out behind the amazement shining in his eyes. The last time they were here, they didn't hold an official ceremony, and people were so cheerful and relieved to see Snow White back in her castle and true role, that no one paid attention to customs.

Connor is relatively quiet too, especially for a child his age. He is an absolute delight, totally adorable in his little suit, and Regina's heart squeezes when she thinks of Amelia, and how she cannot be here to see how her gorgeous son has grown so much. Little John is holding his son's hand, reminding him to stay calm when he grows impatient and agitated. Alan and Zelena also stand next to them, dressed in fine clothes too, all waiting.

Granny came with Ruby, at Snow's request, so some arrangements had to be made at the farm. Arthur and Dean offered to take care of it while the two attended the ceremony, so they happily joined Regina's group while they stayed at her old house.

Regina jumps a little when the main doors open, hears her husband's chuckle in her hair, nudges his ribs gently in response, only to feel his lips press to the back of her head.

Snow White walks in, dressed in one of the most beautiful and elegant dresses Regina has ever seen. Gold in color, adorned with embroideries all over the corset which blend into the skirt, perfectly fitting the princess' silhouette. Her ivory locks fall loosely in perfect waves over her shoulders, only two small strands tied together at the back of her head to free her face, and highlighting her delicate features and pale skin.

She's trying maintain a small and natural smile, but Regina can see behind the mask, knows the girl is both extremely excited and completely terrified. Regina has faith in Snow White, she knows what the girl is capable of, has seen what she's capable of over the last three months. She knows where she comes from and what she's learned over the last year. And she's sure of one thing: She will be a  _fantastic_  ruler.

As she makes her way to the throne, Snow White glances around the crowd, politely smiling and nodding to everyone in acknowledgment. But when she meets Regina's eyes, her breath catches in her throat for a second, anxiety enveloping her out of fear of disappointing the woman she's looked up to from the second they met years ago.

Regina winks at the princess, smiles broadly, reassuringly, and nods once, sensing the girl's need for approval. She holds her gaze for as long as Snow seems to need it, being supportive, until the princess walks past her and they have to break eye-contact. Following her steps, glancing to the throne and the High Chancellor who's waiting for the princess to reach him.

Her eyes fall on David, whose facial expression has changed since Snow White entered the room. His gaze is fixed upon the Princess, his eyes shining, face beaming, smiling slightly wider than earlier. And in his glowing features, she thinks she recognizes something... something she's not certain any of the two teenagers might be aware of just yet.

The strong voice of the Chancellor breaks Regina's train of thought when he begins the ceremony, brings her back to watching Snow White. Unfortunately, it also reminds her of her back pain too. She stretches discreetly enough that only Robin notices, and his hand comes flat against her lower back, slowly massaging the area. She allows a small relieved sigh to escape her, and in moments like this, she couldn't be more grateful to be the wife of such a caring and attentive man.

Focusing back on the ceremony, she watches the Chancellor offers the Royal Scepter to the Princess after she's sat on her throne, then the man takes a step back.

"Madam, is your Majesty willing to take the oath?"

"I am willing"

Snow White places her right hand on the Kingdom's Charter, her other hand holding the Royal Scepter.

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of this Kingdom and all of its territories, and your Possessions according to our respective laws and customs?"

"I solemnly promise so to do"

"Will you in your Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"

"I will."

Snow White arised lifting her chin high, as the Chancellor presents the Sword of the State to her. Facing all the people in the hall, Snow speaks with a voice free of any doubt, the voice of a  _Queen_ , "The things which I have here before promised, I will performe and keep. Until my last breath."

The man invites her to stand from the throne and advance to the edge of the stairs, face to the crowd. Placing the Royal Crown on her head he declares, "Presenting Her Majesty Snow White, daughter of late King Leopold and Queen Eva, now Queen of the Enchanted Forest."

xxx

The music stops just long enough to allow a few people to escape the dance floor, to rest or get something to drink. Regina is one of them. She drags Robin to one of the tables, and painfully sits down, rubbing her back.

"One more minute and I think my feet wouldn't have carried me at all." She sighs, attempting to stay straight, but giving into her painful body, resting her face in her hands.

"Come here," Robin murmurs, bringing her to his chest, cradling her head in his neck. "No one will blame you if you spend the rest of the party sitting at a table, my love."

"No, I'll go back," she says in an exhale. "Just... Later."

Robin kisses her head, one hand waving in her hair and the other rubbing her shoulder, feeling the growing tiredness of his wife when she rests completely against him, letting him carry her.

"Take your time. There's no rush."

"Regina, are you alright?"

Zelena comes in front of them, worryingly looking at her sister, who turns her face from Robin's neck to look up at her.

"Yes. Exhausted, that's all. And sore. I just needed a break."

Handing her sister some water, she says, "Snow White and David were looking for you. Do you want me to tell them to wait a little?"

Forcing herself to stay straight, Regina shakes her head, arranges her hair. "No, they can come. It's staying up on my feet that was killing me, but I'd like to see them."

Her sister nods and moves away, and Robin leans forward, pushes a strand of hair away from her face, brushing her cheek in the process. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Mmmh... Maybe some veal with vegetables? And some more water? Please."

Robin gets up, presses a kiss to her forehead. "Coming right up!"

"Thank you, Robin."

She watches her husband disappear in the direction of the buffet, uses that time alone to spot Matthew, busy dancing with Ruby and Connor, the three apparently having lots of fun, considering the smiles breaking their adorable faces. She watches them for a while, her hand rubbing her stomach at the same time, thoughtful, grateful for her family, to see these children she loves so much finally safe and sound.

"Regina?"

She looks up to face the Prince and the, now, Queen, and smiles widely.

"Your Majesties," she says reverently, bowing her head. "Forgive me for not getting up, my situation-"

"Is it a family thing?"

Regina startles at Snow White's annoyed, yet amused question. "Matthew acted just as cordial with me. I had to tell him that my friends stay my friends and I don't want my relationship with them to change. So please, Regina! Call us by our names, not our titles."

The young woman laughs softly, tilts her head to the side. "I told Matthew to act this way with you, unless you told him otherwise. Apparently he listened to me."

David and Snow take place at the table next to Regina, the young Prince replying. "He listened to you so well he told Ruby and Connor to do the same. It was funny to see Connor try to pronounce ' _Highness_ '."

A small laugh runs among the three, their gaze landing on the children still dancing together, unaware of the conversation currently being held about them.

"On a more serious note Regina," Snow White resumes, "how are you?"

Regina grabs the Queen's hand, squeezes softly. "I'm fine, Snow. I am exhausted, my body is sore. But I am fine. And I am so proud of you two!" She assures, changing the subject. "You were incredible today, Snow." She compliments the girl, who blushes slightly, before addressing the two teenagers. "And the work you've done so far is impressive. People love you. They  _trust_  you. They respect you, and most importantly, you respect them.  _All_  of them. Thanks to you, the two Kingdoms reunited will be stronger than they've ever been."

"You know you kind of helped a lot get to this result, right?" David says, smirking. "You're the reason we're here today."

"You give me more credit than I deserve, David."

"On the contrary, my love!" She hears a more than familiar voice come from behind her as a plate is deposited in front of her. "I believe these two wise people are quite right."

"Everyone here knows the part you played in this war, Regina." The soft voice of Ruth says, the woman's hand resting on Regina's shoulder when she joins the conversation, putting a large glass of water on the table next to the plate Robin just brought. "Everyone knows that the Merry Men saved Snow's life and defeated Cora, that thanks to you, many lives have been spared."

"But since today is a celebration day, maybe we should talk about something happier?" Snow offers, noticing Regina's slight discomfort, unwilling to linger on a painful subject either. "Like your pregnancy!" She says happily. "How's it going? When is the baby supposed to be born?"

Regina laughs softly, her hand instinctively coming to caress the curve of her belly, feeling the movements of her child under her fingertips.

"It's going well. My midwife said that the baby should arrive in about two months. I have to admit I can't wait to finally meet him or her."

"You're going to be a wonderful mother." Snow White says shyly, earning a soft smile from Regina, whose hand lifts to tenderly cup the girl's chin.

"Thank you, Snow."

"Will we be allowed to visit you and the baby?" David questions.

Robin's face turns into a falsely shocked one, his voice strong and amused. "You better! We'd feel quite offended if you didn't."

They share a laugh at Robin's reaction, and the promise is made that when the baby is born, someone will be sent to inform them, so Snow White, David and Ruth can find a moment to come and meet the child.

When Regina glances around her, she notices some changes in partners among her friends and family. Zelena is now Matthew's partner, while Ruby dances with Connor. Alan leads Granny's steps and Little John makes Johanna dance. Everyone is smiling, everyone is happy. Life is good, and at this moment, Regina couldn't have felt happier.

xxx

Three weeks later

Robin is awoken by movements, the mattress dipping every five seconds, sighs and whimpers, the covers being almost ripped away from him.

He opens his eyes, notices it's still dark, although the moonlight is strong enough to lighten up the place for him to see, and as he emerges from sleep, he realizes what woke him. Or more exactly,  _who_.

Turning on his back, he silently observes his wife as she fights with the sheets. How she presses her hands flat on her stomach, then turns on her side, rubbing her back, before lying back again, exhaling painfully.

So he makes himself known, slowly turns towards her, his hand reaching for her now large stomach.

"Hey... What is it?" Robin asks softly, making her look at him, frowning and looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you. You should go back to sleep, you need-"

He stops her with a firm and serious look, his thumb finding her lips. "Enough of this. Tell me what's bothering you, Regina. Why are you so agitated in the middle of the night?"

She shakes her head out of his hold, wincing and swallowing down a whimper. It only worries him more, so he urges. "Regina! Talk to me! Is something wrong?"

He sees her sigh, and finally, relent. "Nothing is wrong. The baby is fine. It's  _so_  fine that it won't stop moving and kicking. And now it's grown so much it hurts." He brings a hand to her face, caresses her cheek softly. "And my back is killing me and I can't find a comfortable position. I'm exhausted, I haven't slept at all, and every time I close my eyes and start to fall asleep, your child wakes me up with a punch to my stomach."

Robin laughs softly, and he earns a murderous look from his wife for that.

"Are you really making fun of me?"

He tempers his laugh, his hand sliding along her neck and shoulder, rubbing her arm.

" _My_  child?" He questions with amused eyes.

Regina narrows hers and bites. "Tonight it's a pain in the ass, so yes! It's definitely  _your_ child."

"Well," knowing Regina is just too much on edge to be nice and reasonable, Robin doesn't take the bait, instead scoots closer, removes the sheets and moves his hand underneath her nightgown so he can stroke her abdomen, pressing his lips on top of her belly before looking up at his wife. "Let me deal with our child tonight. And then I'll help you with your back, alright?"

She nods, her head falling back against the cushions, closing her eyes.

Robin turns his attention towards his child, bringing his mouth just above the curve of her stomach before murmuring, "Hello there! It's your daddy." He rubs his hand in circles on Regina's belly, feels her relax under his touch. "I heard that you're really excited tonight, but I need you to calm down. Go to sleep, little one. Everything is alright. Your mommy needs to rest so she can take good care of you. So relax, we're right here. We're right here with you. We love you so much. It's not the time for you to come out yet, so you need to sleep and gather your strength for the big day, okay? Come on, sleep, my baby. You're safe."

He keeps talking in a low voice until he feels the tension in Regina's abdomen lessen, until he feels the baby settle down, appeased. He keeps going for a little while, just in case, and also because it feels damn good, so  _amazing_.

But when he glances up at his wife, he finds her looking at him with teary eyes, her hand raising to weave into his hair.

"What?"

"You are wonderful, you know that?" Regina breathes, her voice thick with emotion.

Robin grins, removes his hand from underneath her clothes, moving up on the bed so they're at eye level, and cups her chin.

"I'm trying," he shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm married to a goddess, it's only fair that I'm doing my best to be worthy of her love."

Regina tries to suppress her smile, but she loses the battle, ends up biting her lower lip and staring at him from underneath her lashes, blushing.

"Flatterer," she calls him out, but it's not at all a reproach.

"Guilty!" Robin admits playfully, before straightening on the bed, urging Regina to sit up, and then explains when she gives him a puzzled look. "I did say I would help you with your back pain, did I not?"

Opening her eyes in realization, Regina's face expression transforms into a pleased one when she follows Robin's guidance and moves on the bed to sit between his legs, her back to him. He tells her to lean against him, to rest her head on his shoulder, and she does, feels his hands finding their way to her lower back, starting to massage slowly, putting more pressure when he finds knots or when Regina winces, undoing her pain, easing the strained muscles.

All the while, he feels her breath against his neck, how it hitches when he finds a sore spot, and how Regina exhales when he's being effective. After a while, there's only a slow, relaxed breath caressing his skin. Carefully looking down at her, Robin notices her closed eyes, calmed features, how abandoned to his care she is. So slowly, making sure not to wake her up, he moves from his spot behind her, guides her body so it dips gently into the mattress, her head resting on her pillow. He grabs the sheets and covers her with them, before lying down next to her, one hand linked with hers over her abdomen.

And right before he lets sleep take him again Robin thinks, now that the threats are gone,  _this_  is exactly what heaven feels like.

xxx

A couple of days later

"Hey!"

The call and knock on the door make Robin look up from the parchment he's filling to greet Colin.

"Hey! Are you done with your shopping?"

"Yes. My girls found a new fabric for their dresses that they claim is  _absolutely fantastic,_ " he quotes with a roll of his eyes, but he shakes his head immediately. "I wish they could get in this state in front of a good bow. But it's definitely not their thing. I hope my son grows up to become a fine archer and fighter."

"I trust you to put a bow in his hand the second he knows how to spell it correctly."

"Don't tempt me!"

Small footsteps interrupt them, and Colin looks behind him, moves to the side with a smile.

"Speaking of sons."

Matthew peaks inside, his smile turning into a grin when he sees his father.

"Dad!" He exclaims, stepping inside, almost running to Robin, who gets up to hug him.

"Hello, my son!" Tilting Matthew's head up, he questions. "Were you good to Colin and Vanda?"

"Yes, promise!"

"He was," Colin confirms. "You've got a great son, Robin. It's a pleasure to have him with us."

Robin looks down at his son with a satisfied smile. "Good. And what did Colin let you buy?"

"Only what mom authorized," Matthew assures. "A quill, ink, a small book to write during classes, and a new storybook."

"Perfect!"

"I didn't want to unleash your wife's fury," Colin reveals. "I still remember the murderous look and the speech she gave me when she saw the dagger I let him have last time."

"It was a little too much for this young man, you have to admit it."

"That's your point of view."

"Maybe," Robin concedes, smirking. "Regina and I are,  _indeed_ , his parents after all."

"Hello, Robin."

Vanda walks in, holding her young son on her hip, Jenna following closely, carrying a bag of groceries.

"Hello, Vanda." Looking at the girl, "Jenna."

"Hi, Robin!"

"I hope taking Matthew with you to the market today was no trouble. I know it's Colin's day off, but between Regina's pregnancy and my work here, I couldn't do it myself."

"No worries!" Vanda shakes off his apology, "It's a pleasure. He's a good kid, and he really gets along with Jenna."

Robin looks affectionately at the girl. "That's nice to hear." And then, he exclaims. "But don't let me keep you! Go back to the camp, enjoy the rest of the day in family. I have one more hour of work to do here, and then I'll go back with Matthew."

"You're sure you don't need me to stay and help? I know John left earlier than planned, I can do his work," Colin offers, but Robin shakes his head.

"You go home. I only have a few more reports to make. Who would've thought being Sheriff meant spending 25% of your time writing down everything you did, every arrest you made, and justifying them to the King? Or, in this case, the Prince," he corrects, thinking of David and of how many responsibilities the boy now has weighting on his shoulders.

"Certainly not your predecessor," Colin replies with a wink.

"For sure!"

When Robin took the position as the new Sheriff of Nottingham, he discovered that among his newfound duties he had to make daily entries in the sheriff's Book of Arrests, which was intended to justify his actions, and to make sure he wasn't crossing any lines. This was something that Marian's husband completely disregarded while he held the position. In his many years as he sheriff little to no entries were ever made. Now, he understands that the man never followed the rules, that his job didn't give him free will to do as he pleased, and maybe that if he had done what he was supposed to, many people wouldn't have been wrongfully executed or sent to jail.

After Colin and his family leave, Robin lets Matthew take place at the other edge of his desk, the boy already engrossed in his new book, and finishes his shift by finalizing reports from his latest arrests.

When he's done, he grabs Matthew's bag, and his own weapons that he carries all the time now, locks the door and wraps an arm around his son's shoulders. The both of them walk towards his horse, Robin helps his son mount him first, and after checking that he's got everything they start heading for the camp.

They've only been riding for half an hour when it happens.

Matthew is happily talking with Robin, who's been teaching him how to ride (Matthew focused so much energy on school and his archery lessons with Regina that he skipped many of the riding classes), when the man suddenly freezes, holds back his steed, falls silent, his face shifting into a focused one, alert, definitely on his guard.

"Dad?" Matthew whispers warily when he understands that something has caught his father's attention.

Robin's hand closes tighter around the smaller one of his son, squeezes a little as a silent order to stay quiet, so the boy does, glances around, a bit scared, unconsciously leaning back against his father, who protectively scoots closer.

"Wait here," he murmurs in the boy's hair.

Before Matthew realizes, Robin has climbed down from the horse, bow in hand, taking a couple of careful steps away from them.

That's all it takes.

Bushes begin to shake, and faces appear, surrounding the trio, each man holding at least one weapon.

Matthew freezes, trying to appear calm but inside, he is terrified. His father is here, and he knows how good of a fighter he is, but there are a dozen men around them, and they are all staring at his father.

"Hello,  _Sheriff_!" One of them spits.

"Hello… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Robin replies with a duck of his head and a frown.

"My name isn't important."

"Alright." Carefully glancing around, Robin stays calm, but on his guard. This situation seems tricky enough, better not give them any more reason to do… whatever they're here for. "What are we doing here, then?"

The man scoffs, gets slowly closer, his sword in hand.

"We all hold a grudge against your family. My friend here," he points to a man with an arm held against his chest by a scarf, "lost the use of his arm when he was attacked by a white wolf, one that was defending your dear wife, when she got herself into a business she had nothing to do with. Defending an old woman and a child, how pointless! She should've stayed out of it."

Robin remembers that day, when Regina came back injured from her hunting lesson with Matthew, the day she brought Granny and Ruby to the camp. How cruel is this man to disrespect the weak to this level?

"Every sane person would've done the same thing! You don't attack people, especially when they can't defend themselves."

"Says you! We don't share opinions in this matter."

"That's why I put people like you behind bars."

"Or have them executed!" He glances behind Robin, who turns just enough to catch the sight of a large man, clasping a clump in his hand. "How brave! The famous Robin Hood, the one who defends the poor against the rich, the thief known through every kingdom, now paid to actually protect people from thieves. How ironic!"

"Is this leading somewhere?" Robin questions, playing impatient, but not dropping his guard, regularly glancing around to make sure no one is making a move.

"Actually yes! Our group is made of people that either you, or your wife, have offended. In your short time as Sheriff, when you filled your dungeons with people who fought for the Queen or King with dignity." Robin understands immediately that the man isn't talking about Snow and David, but about Cora and Georges. "In your wife's fight with the men she so cowardly abandoned to wolves, or took down herself. My brother knocked his head so hard on the rock he fell on, that it took him three days to wake up. Now, he isn't the same anymore. We all lost something because you got in our way. Now we are here to make you pay. Your wife isn't here, but the two of you should be enough to crush the perfect life you've built. Maybe we should start with the kid. I'd love to watch your face while we cut his fingers one by one, that before slicing his throat and sending his head to your wife."

Robin's eyes open wide when he understands that his son is a target, probably even more than he himself is, that these people plan to use the boy to hurt him and Regina. His reaction is instinctive, and he steps back against the horse carefully, feels Matthew's leg hit his shoulder. He knows it's too late for him to flee with the boy. If he wants his son to be safe, he has to make sure that he  _is_  safe. No matter what it takes.

A large clap on the horse's rear and a loud order telling him to head straight for the camp makes him react immediately, and Robin inwardly thanks the beast for being so clever and faithful.

When a few men attempt to get closer and get a hold on Matthew, Robin's horse, Argo, rears, hitting them with his hooves, clearing the way.

"Dad!" Matthew screams when the animal begins to flee.

Robin has already readied an arrow, is aiming every man who's trying to get in his son's and horse's way, freeing a path for them.

"Go back to the camp, Matthew! I'll be-"

He doesn't finish his sentence when a sword rises in front of him, forcing him to focus on the fight, switching his bow for his sword.

When Matthew tries to glance back at his father, gripping the reins tightly, all he sees before he is too far, is the silhouette of his father disappearing from sight, surrounded by his assailants.

He can't breathe.

He can't see.

Wind wipes his face with a strength he's not used to as he rides at a speed he's never reached before. Matthew bends forward, presses himself against the saddle, holding the reins close to keep his balance. He knows Argo won't stop running until he's put him to safety, so he has to hold on.

But Matthew can't move.

He is in shock, the images of what he saw, the words he heard, turning in circle in his mind, assaulting him. Fear takes possession of him, and he clutches to the reins like to a lifeline, so tight his fingers become numb.

Unconsciously, his tears begin to fall, to blur his vision. His body is tense, closed over the gelding's back as he struggles to stay on the saddle, and Matthew tries to tell himself not to give up, that he can't let his father down, that he has to succeed and make it to the camp, warn everyone so they can rescue him.

He doesn't even realize that the camp is visible, and it's only when he hears loud voices, and feels Argo slowing down, that he looks up from the horse's back, losing his balance and falling in the process, hitting the ground hard, feeling his shoulder shatter under the shock.

His scream resonates in the growing agitation of the camp, pain spreads in his body, making his head dizzy, his thoughts incoherent, overwhelmed.

Arthur brings the boy to his chest, confused.

"I don't understand," Colin says, kneeling next to the boy. "I left him with Robin not even two hours ago, and they were perfectly fine."

"Something obviously happened," Arthur answers quickly, before calling as loud as he can, " _Regina_!"

He holds the child close, careful not to hurt the shoulder he fell on and is obviously hurting him like hell, despite his thick winter cloak, gently rubs his back, moves back and forth a little, trying to be soothing, knowing it's pointless, Matthew only reacts to his parents' presence, but he can't find it in himself to stop.

"That's ok Matthew, you're safe," he murmurs in his ear, catching the sight of Regina running towards them, Zelena just behind her.

"Matthew!"

Regina's heart halts its' beating, and she forgets about her tiredness and shaken balance when she hurries to her son, catching the sight of Robin's horse right next to him, but her husband nowhere to be seen.

She crouches in front of her boy, opens her arms and gathers him against her, pressing kisses to his head, forcing him gently to look up at her only to see tears ravaging his face, sobs shaking his body, terror written in his dark orbs.

"I'm here, sweetheart. It's me! It's mom!" She keeps talking, keeps stroking his cheeks, wipes his tears away with her thumb but it's not enough, as Matthew seems unable to get control over himself. She notices his hurt shoulder, removes the boy's cloak to take a better look at it. Regina recognizes the injury immediately, she's seen it several times at the camp. This won't help Matthew to calm down.

Zelena kneels next to them, as powerless as Regina feels, rubbing her nephew's back tenderly while her sister still struggles to pull him out of his dazed state.

"Arthur, hold him back for me, please," Regina urges firmly. "I'm going to put his shoulder back into place right now."

"While he's in such a state?" Her friends argue.

"I prefer to do this now while he doesn't realize rather than later when he's finally calm and aware."

Her friend acknowledges her words, and Arthur brings the boy against him while Matthew is still crying and not responsive to them.

"Zelena, I'll need you to ease the pain when I'm done. I wouldn't ask you to use magic, but I want to know what happened quickly and removing the pain might help appease him."

"Alright."

Staring at her son, Regina carefully grabs his wrist, folding the elbow and pushing his arm away from his body, all along making sure that his upper arm doesn't move, but Arthur is holding it firmly. A dislocated shoulder is one of the most common injuries the Merry Men face, they all learned how to fix it.

She stays focused until she feels it, until Matthew's shoulder comes back in place naturally with a soft  _pop_ , barely audible under the sudden scream of the boy, his cries more intense than before.

Arthur quickly releases the child, Regina folding his arm against his chest and bringing her son to her, glancing at Zelena who puts her hand over the painful area, green smoke covering it. If Matthew doesn't stop crying, at least they know it worked when the screams stop, but he still appears to be stuck in the shocked state he was when he arrived.

"Honey, please! Talk to me," Regina calls, calming her tone to quiet her son's environment and therefore help appease him. "You're safe now, you're ok. Come back to me, Matthew. Come back home."

She runs a hand through his hair, and finally, this simple touch mixed with the softness of her voice appears to finally shake him out of his stupor, has him meeting her eyes for the first time, realization written in them. It doesn't stop the tears though, doesn't appease his sobs, the fear tainting his face, the shakes of his body.

"D- Dad," he manages, struggling to speak. "He- They- They- Bandits! They wanted- They want… after you. They- They threatened me- Cut my fingers and- Dad- He helped me escape." Guilt is evident in his voice when he admits, "I- I didn't want to abandon- b- but- I was scared- Argo, he- I- I should- I-"

Regina brings her thumb to his lips, shushing him softly, fighting her own fears, her own tears, her  _anger_ at the bastards who wanted to hurt her child, trying to be strong, for her son.

"You did exactly what you had to do."

"But-"

"Matthew, you know how much your father loves you." She waits for his nod before adding, "You know he will always put your safety before his own."

"But-"

"No buts," Regina says as calmly as she can, well aware that her friends are already getting ready for a rescue mission, but right now Matthew is the one who matters the most. "You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. None of this is your fault. Now, tell me where you were when they attacked you."

The boy seems to have started to calm down, is still shaking and crying, but the look in his eyes shows that he came back to his senses.

"Not- Not far from Pepplewick. We- We'd just passed the sign when- when dad- when they-"

Regina shushes him again, brings him to her chest, surrounding him with her arms, her head resting on top of his, telling him that it's ok, they know where to go, they will find his father and bring him back, that he did everything he could, he has to calm down now, she's here, he's safe, she's staying with him.

No matter how deeply she wants to search for her husband, no matter how scared and angry she is, despite the infinite love she carries for Robin, her heart, her mind, her instincts, all of those are screaming at her to stay behind and protect her children, the one inside her and the one tucked in her arms.

And she listens.

Regina raises furious eyes at Little John, and with one look he understands. She wants her husband back.

_Alive_.


	32. You're my future : Chapter 2

Thirty minutes after Matthew arrived at the camp

Regina and Zelena have taken Matthew to his parents' tent, and for the last fifteen minutes, they've tried to calm him down, to soothe his anxiety. Assuring him that what happened wasn't his fault, and that no one blames him for fleeing the scene and abandoning his father.

However, all their attempts have rendered unsuccessful.

The boy is sitting on the bed, agitated, furious, panicked, and nothing Regina is saying works.

She cannot begin to imagine what he must have seen and heard. Nor what must have gone through his mind at that moment.

From the little Regina managed to get out of him, the fight had barely begun when he lost sight of them, so there's hope that Robin is fine. Or at least, still alive.

Chills run through her body at the thought of…

She can't even believe this. After everything, after how far they've come, that she could lose him. She thought they were safe. She thought it was finally over.

It will never be over.

Regina knows her husband, knows how resourceful he is, she knows he won't fall without a hell of a fight, especially if his family is threatened. She trusts him to come back to her, but… If those men were really as numerous and as heavily armed as Matthew said…

_No!_  She can't think of what could happen. She has to stay hopeful, if not for her sake, for her children's.

From her spot next to Regina, Zelena watches her family fall apart, her sister trying to keep herself together while she's crumbling inside. She recognizes the brave look on Regina's face, it's the same one she wore during the funerals, when she had to bury her father and friends. She knows what it means. She knows the only reason her sister is able to keep it together is because Matthew needs her.

It's amazing how quickly Zelena has come to love this boy. Matthew is a good kid, one who's gone through too many things for his age. She can relate to his story, to the abusive father, the weak mother, the running away. Just like she knows Regina can. Maybe it's what helped them all create this connection, this bubble of love surrounding their family all the time. Zelena cherishes and treasures every single moment she spends with them. She knows that she would give her life for any of them any day. She would exchange her place with Robin in a heartbeat if that means she wouldn't have to see tears drowning her nephew's face, and the desperation in her sister's voice as she tries to appease him.

But Regina's tone has changed. She's not trying to stay calm anymore. She's trying to put an end to Matthew's self-loathing. She's trying to stop her boy from beating himself up for something he's not at fault for.

"It's my fault, mom! Everyone dies because of me. First, it was grandpa, and then Eric, and now-"

"Stop!"

But the boy keeps rambling, his gaze erratic, avoiding his mother's. "He wanted to protect me. He climbed down Argo because-"

"Stop it!"

When she understands that he's not listening to her, Regina catches his chin, forces him to look up at her.

"Matthew!  _Enough!_ "

Matthew jumps at the strong and firm voice, blinks repeatedly, as if slowly reconnecting with the real world, snatched away from the hell he was stuck in. He finally meets his mother's eyes, for real this time, hit by the concern that has taken place in them, but also by the love and warmth that constantly emanate from her presence, and finds in her soft gaze enough strength to overcome the fear and despair weighting on his shoulders.

This is soothing, really, the way she always looks at him with eyes so deep and shining, so full of affection and tenderness. As he's slowly calming down, he remembers how her simple presence can make him feel better, how the comfort of her embrace and the softness of her kisses on his forehead soothe all of his troubles. Except he didn't let her in this time. Too caught up in his nightmare, he didn't realize that she was here, ready to hold him, to help him, to  _love_  him.

So now, Matthew finally lets her in. He lets his mother's endless love envelop him like a thick and soft blanket on a snowing day, relaxes slightly in her embrace.

"It is  _not_  your fault, alright?" She brings a hand to his cheek, her smile widening when he leans into her palm. "Just because people love you so much they're ready to give their lives for you, doesn't mean you're responsible for what happens to them."

Zelena's hand reaches for the boy's back, rubbing it soothingly, and Matthew exhales slowly, comes back to himself.

His mother wipes his damped cheek with one hand, brushes his hair with the other, all the while never breaking eye-contact, showing him the depth of her love for him, as if she was afraid he would forget.

"Damn, you really are  _my_  son, aren't you?"

In front of Matthew's puzzled expression, Regina's lip tip up, and she explains.

"You've blamed yourself for everything that happened to the people you love, because you think that if you had done things differently, it would've changed their fates. But you know what, Matthew? That isn't how life works. You can't control people's decisions. And you can't go back in time. You can't change the past. When someone loves you, and when that person decides to put their life at risk for you, it's  _their_ decision, not yours. Your grandfather chose to sacrifice his life to save us all. Eric chose to take part in the fight against my mother, knowing all the risks, like we all did. You didn't make them do anything they didn't want to, honey."

Regina pauses, her lips pressing a soft kiss to the boy's forehead, lingering a little, holding him to her, before she pulls back, swallowing heavily, bracing herself for the following part of the conversation.

"And your father, he protected you, because you mean the world to him, and he couldn't stand the idea of seeing you get injured. That's what parents do for their children. That's what people do for their loved ones. He would have been attacked whether you were there or not. But the fact that you  _were_  with him, sweetheart, might be the one thing that might safe his life.. Thanks to you, he knows help's coming. Matthew, you might not realize it, but if you hadn't fled the scene, nobody would've been able to warn us. Little John, Alan, Arthur, and all of our friends, they're out there looking for him! And they're going to bring him back safe and sound."

Matthew frowns, glances between his mother and aunt.

"I... I didn't think of that." He admits with a shrug.

"See?" Zelena says softly, rubbing his hurt shoulder a little, discreetly sending some magic to ease the pain when she notices Matthew's wince. "You do more good than you think, darling."

Regina nods at her sister, acknowledges her use of magic and inwardly thanks her for the care she shows towards Matthew.

How lucky she is to have finally found her, she cannot tell. But Zelena coming into her life has brought Regina so much joy and satisfaction she sometimes thinks it's not real. They're different yet, at the same time, very much alike. Their connection, the love they have for each other, goes beyond a shared blood. She had something similar, once. She knew a friendship so strong she almost didn't survive losing it. Amelia was the kindest, the softest woman of the camp, with a bright mind and an endless love to share. She will forever be in her mind, in her heart, Regina will never forget how much she loved her, the wonderful moments they spent together, how much they gave each other. How much she misses her every single day. The blonde woman will forever hold that place as the first and only best friend Regina ever knew. And with Zelena, it's different, they are sisters and went through the same pain caused by the same evil woman who gave them life. But somehow it feels a bit similar, and Regina is grateful she found in her sister the confident and support she lost with her best friend's death.

She turns towards her son, thumb still brushing his cheek.

"Stop thinking that you are responsible for the attack, Matthew. And honey," she calls softly, smiling widely, "your father and I, we  _chose_  you. We chose to be your parents, and we love you from the  _bottom_ of our heart. No matter what happens, no matter the consequences, you will always be our first priority. We will always fight for you, Matthew, because you are a part of us." Regina softens her voice, tilts her head to the side when she lets out a soft chuckle, before shrugging and sheepishly scrunching her nose on the last sentence. "I'm sorry honey, but you are stuck with us!"

It works.

Matthew smiles through his tears, his tense features relaxing ever so slightly, but enough for Regina to understand that her son came back to her. She lets him lean against her, his head resting on her shoulder, pressing his hurt shoulder against the pillow, and his free hand against her abdomen, stroking thoughtfully.

She exchanges a look with her sister, who nods, smiles warmly before rising from the bed. She's about to head for the exit, but she bends forward, presses a kiss to Matthew's head then Regina's temple.

"I'll be back in a bit." She says lowly. "Relax, you two. I'll warn you if we have news."

Regina smiles back at Zelena while she's stroking Matthew's head. "Alright, thank you."

Once she's alone with Matthew, after hearing him sniffle one more time, squirming to find a comfortable position, letting out a small whimper when he hurts his shoulder against the headboard, Regina turns her whole attention to her son, helps him settle comfortably against her. She cradles his face, his back, kisses his forehead, wipes the lonely tear that escaped his brimming eyes. She surrounds him with her love and care, until he relaxes in her arms, his breathing back to normal as his pain seems to finally subside.

"You think the baby knows?" Matthew questions genuinely, breaking the silence, his cheek pressed against the curve of her abdomen.

Regina's hand falls over her stomach, covering his, the other brushing her son's forehead.

"I'm sure it doesn't, sweetie. I'm sure it doesn't."

But inside her, she knows it's a lie.

In appearance, the baby may be quiet, but now she doesn't need the kicks to know how it feels anymore. Because this growing anxiety filling her, isn't coming from her fears only. Her child is panicked, and she finds it very difficult to appease it.

xxx

Fifteen minutes later

Alan lifts the body from the ground, notices the sliced throat covered with thick blood. The wound is deep and clean, killed the man instantly. But this body, luckily, isn't Robin's, so Alan lets it falls back without another glance, stepping back when it lands in one of the growing puddle of water, making it splash around.

The rain started to fall not long after they exited the camp, and it makes everything more complicated, is spreading the clues they might find, decreasing their chances to find anything helpful.

This is insanity. Why are they here, looking for their leader, their friend, months after the end of the war? Why do they have to endure one more ordeal, when they had to overcome so many already?

Haven't they been through enough?

He looks up at Little John, crouched next to a dead man, hand hovering above the floor, probably searching for traces, footprints, anything that could help, both to find Robin and understand the reason behind this madness, but judging by his frown he must find none.

His friend has lost so much already. John is strong, but with the loss of his wife and baby, he's been shaken,  _weakened,_  more than Alan ever saw him. Had he lost Connor too, Alan knows for certain that John would've died with them. So, deep inside, Alan is afraid that John won't overcome Robin's disappearance if they can't find him. The two are the closest friends at the camp, their friendship is the oldest and strongest he ever saw. Such a blow won't be easy to swallow.

And Regina... She has Matthew, Connor, Zelena, her baby. But Robin... Alan knows why she didn't come, and he believes she made the wisest choice by staying behind with her children, especially considering her condition, but her love and dedication to her husband go beyond anything he encountered. Regina can be strong, for her kids, but after everything she went through over this last year and a half, will she be able to overcome and heal from the loss of love a second time?  _True_  love, even, if he believes the true love's kiss that saved Robin's life once. Thinking of it, Regina is stronger, she's resilient, she's grown up and evolved so much since they took her in years ago, she's the furthest from the frightened young woman they met. However, some of her wounds are still fresh, and despite her slowly growing family Alan isn't ready to bet that she would emerge unscathed from this new ordeal.

That's why they can't fail in their task. If he wants his closest friends to be spared of another loss, if he doesn't want to burry yet another of  _his_ friends, they have to find Robin, and they have to find him alive.

Alan rises to see the men check the other bodies.

No one speaks, their heads are down, foreheads wrinkled in frowns and concern, their frustrated and relieved sighs swallowed in the hammering sound of the rain. So, he understands, receives confirmation of Robin's absence when they all get up, looking at each other perplexedly.

They counted thirteen men.

Thirteen  _dead_ men.

There is blood everywhere.

Weapons are scattered all over the floor.

But there's no sign of Robin.

He's not here. He's not one of the dead bodies spread across the small space of the forest.

So, for a moment, Alan allows hope to prevail over the dread, and he's not the only one. He can hear the same feeling in the voices and attitudes of his friends, as they scan the area and call their leader's name loudly, slowly stepping away from the battlefield. The Merry Men spread, search the forest, rummage around every bush, tree, rock they can see, looking for traces or clues giving away Robin's whereabouts.

" _Robin_?"

" _Robin, where are you_?"

They search for him nonstop, dead or alive - although they hope for the latter -, because they don't know what to look for. They don't know what state their friend is in, if he's able to answer them, or even hear them. Hell, they don't even know if he's conscious..

What if one of the assailants survived, and chased Robin through the forest? But then, there would be traces, wouldn't it? If Robin is injured and escaped, there should be a blood trail, right?

But they find nothing! Or at least, nothing helpful. And even if there were footsteps or blood to follow, the rain probably erased them by now. Damn it!

Branches are broken here and there, but they don't create a path, so they might've been a result of the fight, but there's no real way to be sure, for all they know it was the storm or an animal what broke them. Strong winds and heavy rain is blowing off the whole place, disturbing the scene and, at the same time, damping and freezing them to the bones.

The footprints they do find are all over the place, but it's too messy to distinguish which ones could be Robin's.

And it's eating at them. The lack of result irritates the Merry Men, even though it's only been 20 minutes. Alan can feel it. The anxiety among them slowly comes back, twisting their guts, rendering their calls more frantic, their apparent calmness slowly letting place to anguish and panic, as they're reminded of another search party, months ago. One that lasted for weeks and didn't end up very well...

"Bloody hell, where is he?" Arthur curses through gritted teeth.

"Maybe he got back to the camp while we were coming here?" Dean suggests. His tone doesn't hold much conviction, but he'd give everything for this theory to be true.

"We would have crossed paths with him, seen his footprints somewhere, or he would have heard us and tried to catch our attention, don't you think?"

"Not necessarily." Alan replies. "He might have taken a safe and hidden path, one away from the road we took, or found shelter from the storm. For all we know he could have collapsed somewhere on the way, and we might have ridden past him unknowingly. We know the forest better than anyone, it  _is_  possible to walk for hours not far from someone and never see them. Plus, we rode quite fast while coming here. It's not because we haven't found-"

" _I got something_!"

By the time Dean rises from his crouched position behind a bush, he is surrounded by his friends, asking him what it is he found.

The young man holds his hand in front of him, lets the others see for themselves... Robin's quiver.

The gift Regina and Matthew made for his birthday. A present Robin loves so much and is so proud of, he's never without it. It's covered with blood, just like pretty much everything in the battlefield, although it doesn't appear to be damaged. No lacerations of any kind, the strap isn't snatched. It tells the Merry Men that it probably wasn't ripped away by someone, that Robin must have lost it... or hidden it. But considering how attached he is to this quiver, that second option seems very unlikely.

Regardless, it doesn't give them any indication as to their friend's whereabouts. Besides a dagger planted in someone's skull, this quiver is the only thing belonging to Robin among the scattered weapons they found earlier. His sword and bow are nowhere to be seen.

"He would have never abandoned this on purpose. This quiver means too much to him." Alan points.

"But that's the only thing of him we've found. It can only mean that he left this place on his feet, right?" Arthur replies, his voice full of hope, but at the same time tainted with fear.

Little John glances around, as if the power of his gaze could make Robin appear in front of them instantly. "That's a possibility indeed. One of many we can't exclude."

"So what do we do?" Colin asks, desperately looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of something that could help, but it feels like they've already searched everywhere here.

"We divide and conquer." Little John replies with authority. "We spread in the forest, and we look for traces. We follow every single drop of blood, broken branch, footprint or misplaced object that we find, even if it appears to be leading to a dead end. Either Robin wasn't injured and he'll find us, or he is, and something will lead us to him."

"And what if we arrive too late?"

Little John sends Arthur a glare. "We won't."

xxx

An hour and a half later

"Thank you, Zelena."

Zelena smiles politely at Vanda, bows her head a little, keeps slicing the carrots as she asks. "For what?"

"For helping us today."

Shrugging, Zelena speaks nonchalantly, trying to hide her embarrassment. She's not used to be on the receiving end of compliments, especially not from a woman she barely knows and has barely talked to in months. Not that she doesn't appreciate it, but it still feels a bit odd. When she left her sister and nephew, she found Vanda and other women trying to unfold a large tent above the tables to protect the area from the sudden rain that had started to fall while she was in the tent. After seeing them struggle against the blasts of wind, and briefly hesitating, it became obvious for her that she should do something. She walked to them cautiously, afraid to be rejected, however wanting to show her good intentions. She held her breath when she reached the group, but instead of the daring or fearful looks she's used to, she heard Vanda's strong voice, asking her if she minded helping them.

It became easy then. She grabbed one of the ropes, held it firmly, struggling against the wind threatening to shake her balance, the slippery ground hampering her movements, and after a good five minutes trying with no result, she dared say.

" _I can use my magic. It will only take a few seconds."_

Her confident demeanor and voice faced the surprise of the several women, all freezing in their drenched clothes, staring at her in silence. It's the same voice that she heard before, who replied, with a tone that didn't leave room for objection.

" _We're not getting anywhere. Please, do, Zelena."_

It was settled in the matter of a flick of her wrist, and a clasp of her fingers, when she lit up the lamps inside the large tent. The relief running among the women when they finally found themselves sheltered from the rain and blustery weather eased Zelena's fear a little. At least she got to show them her magic can be used for good things too. If there's one thing she learned from the lessons she gave her sister, it's that she doesn't have to be ashamed of who she is, and that her magic is a part of her. No matter what everyone thinks, it doesn't make her wicked. It makes her  _unique_.

After this moment, they started organizing things. Some of them began cleaning the tables and benches, others left to tend to the children, and some worked on reviving the large fire. Although it never fully dies because of some ingenious powder Tuck found during one of his travels in another realm years ago, it still loses intensity. A small group began preparing dinner, and Zelena instinctively joined them, sitting across from Vanda and grabbing a knife to begin to chop vegetables into large cubes.

"Oh! It was nothing, really."

"I think we'd still be trying to set up that damn tent it hadn't been for your help." A woman, whose name Zelena recalls being Fiona, replies.

"That's quite a storm going on out there." Zelena points out. "And being here, well," she shrugs, looks down at her hands and the large plate of vegetables in front of her, "it keeps my mind busy."

"That's good." Vanda says. She puts a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "It can't be easy, seeing Regina and Matthew so shaken. How were they when you left them?"

"Not very well. I mean… Regina had started to appease Matthew, but I could see that she was only putting up a brave face for him. Inside, she is terrified."

"Rightfully so. She's been through so much already, and no one expected something like this to happen again. She doesn't deserve this constant suffering."

"No, she doesn't." Zelena agrees. She glances down again, sighs.

"I'm glad she has you now."

Vanda's last words have Zelena looking up, dumbfounded.

"Are you… really?"

Vanda gives her a small smile and a wink.

"Of course I do. I might not be close to your sister, Zelena, but I've known her for years. Finding you has helped sooth the losses she's endured, it's obvious to anyone who looks carefully."

Unable to hide the smile growing on her lips, Zelena gazes down, frowns forcing a neutral face, suddenly all but focused on her task, even though she's practically done.

"Finding her is the best thing that's ever happened to me." She admits. "I'd do anything for her." And then, she finishes. "She's my little sister."

There's silence then, but for once, it's not uncomfortable. Zelena catches the small smile on Vanda's lips, and the satisfied look she shares with Fiona. But she has nothing else to say on the subject, doesn't necessarily want to linger on this, so she declares with a cheerful voice.

"It's incredible how much food you have to prepare every day. Is it like this for every meal?"

Vanda smirks knowingly at the sudden change of subject, plays along.

"Yes. We have many men, and growing children to feed. Plus, the number of people living at the camp has grown exponentially since the war. Many of them have no other place to go."

"I have to admit that I never really thought about it." The redhead shamefully confesses. "From the outside, the way the camp functions looks so… natural."

"It isn't." Fiona replies.

"It requires a lot of work and coordination." Vanda continues. She then hesitates, is about to say something else, but she doesn't, instead exchanges a glance with Fiona, then leans closer to Zelena carefully, speaking confidently. "You know, Zelena, if you want to help with any of the camp's chores - the crops, cooking, teaching - all you have to do is ask."

Zelena's eyes widen. "Really?"

Vanda seems surprised by the genuineness of the other woman's question.

"Of course. We don't bite, you know?"

"Yeah! No! I mean…" she takes a deep breath. "I know you don't. I thought that  _you_  were afraid of  _me_."

Fiona and Vanda's chuckles are soft, and subside when the brunette looks up to Zelena.

"We were. For a while. But not anymore. Zelena, you helped us defeat the Evil Queen. You owned and apologized for your mistakes. You've earned your sister's trust, and everyone here knows Regina is a difficult heart to conquer. I think you've proved yourself enough. As far as I'm concerned, you just have to tell me what you want to do and you'll be part of the group."

"Same for me." Fiona agrees.

For a second or two, Zelena stays silent. She is still processing the two women's words, their offer, their acceptance of her presence at the camp, as a real member of it and not just barely tolerated and a potential threat.

"Thank you." She breathes sincerely. "That means a lot, more than you can imagine. And I don't really have a preference, just tell me where the help is needed most, I'll manage."

"Well, with Henry's passing, I could use some help with the school. We have more students now that families have decided to stay, and I'm left alone to do the job."

Zelena nods and smiles. She didn't receive the best education in her youth, but at least her mother made her catch up on everything she missed.

"There's also the crops Amelia used to take care of." Fiona says. "We alternate in taking care of them, and I coordinate the schedules, but one more person would be useful."

"Okay. If it's alright with you, I'd like to think about it and I'll give you an answer in a couple of days?"

"Of course. There's more urgent matters on your mind tonight." Glancing towards the exit, Vanda frowns. "You should probably go check on your sister. It's been a while since the men left, and they're not back yet. I don't believe Regina is completely placid, even if Matthew is with her."

"Well, I hope she is at least a little. From what I've seen, she has quite the temper."

The women's brows shoot up in agreement.

"That's a nice way to put it. A pissed off Regina is something to deal with. If it weren't for Matthew and her baby, I'm certain she would be outside giving those men a run for their money."

They laugh softly, because Vanda's probably right. In other circumstances, Regina would be out there looking for her husband, and everyone knows she's better than most Merry Men fighting. But Zelena also knows that despite her abilities, her strong temper, the good face she shows, Regina is fragile and susceptible to break down at any time. So she puts the last vegetables with the rest of the food, wipes her hands with a cloth and gets up.

"I'm going to listen to you and see if she's okay. Thank you for the talk and the offer. I'll keep you posted."

"Perfect. And Zelena?"

The redhead turns slightly towards Vanda. "Yes?"

"If you need any help with your sister, I'm here."

"Thank you."

Zelena walks to the tent quickly, holding her hood to protect herself from the rain. Her apprehension grows with each step.

She gave her sister and nephew some space and privacy after they managed to ease Matthew's anxiety, but she's not certain the two really calmed down. And how could they? The men still aren't back, and it's been two hours.

She hopes she's wrong, but in her mind, it can't be good. Either they haven't found Robin yet, or they found him, but-

_No!_

She won't even think it! She won't allow herself to think about the possibility that Robin might be dead. Regina cannot lose her husband. Especially not when she's just 2 months away from giving birth to their child.

Her sister  _earned_ her happy ending. She deserves it. And if it wasn't because someone has to look out for Regina, because Zelena wants to take care of her little sister for once, instead of the other way around, she would be out searching for Robin too.

Despite complicated beginnings, they get along now. She respects him, and he accepts her presence in their lives. She's not sure if he's forgiven her completely, but he knows she means them no harm, that she loves her sister deeply, that she adores his son, and couldn't be more thrilled with the prospect of becoming an aunt again. Robin knows Zelena was willing to sacrifice her happiness to save him.

While Regina was on Daniel's grave, Robin offered Zelena to walk with him. She was wary at first. Not that he had ever verbally insulted or mistreated her, but before that moment he'd also never initiated unnecessary contact with her. His indifference was something she got used to, accepted, because she was very aware that some people needed more time to accept her presence at the camp and in Regina's life. And to Robin, she was the woman who watched Cora murder his unborn baby, and the one who decided too late to help his best friend's wife escape. Really, Zelena can't blame Robin for needing time.

So that day, Zelena never expected to hear him admit that, after seeing her on the battlefield fighting for them with everything she had, and defend her sister until the end, preventing her from falling into the portal, he revisited his judgment. He saw how sincere and repentant she really was. He realized that she may have supported Cora, but her intention never was to spread death like her mother did. She was just a lost woman in need of a family, and she found the wrong side of her family instead.

But now, he doesn't have any doubts left about her loyalty. He's not afraid to watch her stab them in the back anymore. On the contrary.

He thanked her, for the support she shows Regina, by helping her learn magic and with her pregnancy, especially when he's off to work. With Matthew, who clearly has developed a strong affection for her. And much to her surprise, for her relationship with Alan.

Zelena initially thought Robin was against the idea, however, she soon discovered that he fully supported it.

_"I've never seen him smile the way he smiles when he's with you." Robin said. "He is a joyful man, but he hasn't been this happy in a very, very long time. He's in love with you, Zelena. And I don't think I'm mistaken when I say that you are in love with him too."_

_Taken off guard at first, she shyly nodded, admitted. "I am. I really am."_

_Robin gave her a firm nod. "Good. I'm aware that not everyone approves of your relationship, but I do. I am certain that together you will bring out the best out of each other. I don't know you very well, Zelena, but I know my friend. You two are a good match. And I truly wish that your relationship will keep flourishing with every new day. Just like it does with your sister and my son."_

It wasn't the warm hugs she's now used to with Regina, it wasn't the softest speech, but it was, more than anything, truly and utterly honest, and all she could ever wish for.

"Hey," she says lowly when she enters the tent and removes her hood.

She finds Regina sitting against the headboard, Matthew asleep in her arms, his head resting on her chest, an arm wrapped around her waist and stomach as she keeps stroking his hair. Her sister sits up slightly, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Hey. Did they find him?"

Zelena quickly steps in, gets rid of her cloak and sighs lowly at the warmth of the place (it's getting colder outside and the rain is thicker than it was when they left, it can't make the men's task easy).

She knows she's going to disappoint her sister.

"I don't know. They aren't back yet."

Regina's face falls and she leans back.

Zelena moves closer silently, gives a soft but concerned look to the boy, then sits on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sure they will be here soon. The rain must be slowing them down."

Regina looks down, eyes brimming with tears, her head falling back.

"How did it go after I left?"

"It was alright," Regina admits shakily when looking up. "I managed to reassure him a little. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, but I think the exhaustion and the shock are more to blame than anything else."

"Dinner is being prepared. Do you want me to bring you two something?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, thank you. I don't want to wake him up, and I'm not really hungry at the moment."

Zelena rubs her sister's shoulder sympathetically, hoping to bring her some comfort despite knowing that she can't. "Alright. How are you holding up?"

"Truthfully?" The woman asks with a teary smile, gripping her sister's hand and clutching to it. "Not good. I'm so scared. It's like the first time. We're happy, I'm pregnant, everything is perfect, and-"

Zelena notices the way Regina closes her fists tight, she recognizes the smell of magic trying to escape and her sister's expression when she focuses to keep her powers under control. She squeezes her hand to shush her, and sends her a look to make her understand that she got the message. She's not alone, she needs to breathe and relax if she wants to keep her magic locked in.

"Don't think of that! Cora's gone. No one can hurt you the way she did. Robin is strong, he's the best fighter I've seen. I'm sure he's fine."

"Then why isn't he back yet?" Regina asks with so little confidence it breaks Zelena's heart. "Where are they? What is taking them so long? We may be closer to spring, but it's still freezing outside, Zelena, and the temperatures have dropped already! It's cold and raining! Every minute Robin spends out there is another one where he could freeze to death."

"I don't know what the men have found." The redhead answers honestly. "But I know they are looking for Robin and that they will find him. They  _will_  find him, and they'll bring him back to you." One of her hands rises to brush Regina's hair tenderly. "Everything is going to be alright."

Regina exhales shakily. "I wouldn't be so sure."

Noticing the change in her sister's behavior, Zelena frowns, straightens up on the bed. "What do you mean?"

Regina raises desperate eyes at her. "I think… I think the baby's coming."


	33. You're my future : Chapter 3

Forty five minutes after Zelena entered the tent

"Alright, take deep breaths."

Zelena holds her sister's hand, rubs its back slowly, while Vanda speaks in a calm voice in hope it will help Regina to calm down (Zelena called her over when she realized she doesn't know how to possibly deliver a baby).

Zelena magically transported Matthew to his bedroom, and she asked Fiona to watch over him in case he wakes up and starts to panic. Now having all the space and privacy necessary to the situation, they put some pillows behind Regina's head and back to make her more comfortable. They've prepared everything as Vanda remembers from her own delivery in case Regina has her baby tonight.

But now, it's Regina's turn to ramble and worry. Her emotions are catching up to her, and when Zelena looks at her sister, she immediately sees how overwhelmed Regina is. She's not focusing on anything she' told, and if it wasn't for the spell she's keeping on her to prevent Regina from losing control of her magic, the tent would've blown up by now.

Busy maintaining the spell, Zelena holds her sister's hand, focuses on the magic, and lets Vanda do the pep talk.

"It's too soon. I can't have my baby without Robin. I can't-"

"Regina, calm down, please." Vanda pleads quietly. "Your baby feels your anxiety."

"You try to staying calm when you have no idea if your husband is dead or alive!" Regina snaps, although there's no meanness in her voice, despair fills it.

The other brunette is not deterred by her answer, she understands her too well. Colin may not have been a specific target the way Robin's been for years, but he still took part in most battles since he joined the Merry Men, and some of them left him beat up. She remembers one in particular, she spent hours worrying sick about him. It was the fight that almost took Regina's life, over a year ago. The battle that started everything...

She might not have lost her husband, but she too lost friends and feared for her husband's and friends' lives during the war. She witnessed the everyday devastation as the camp welcomed families destroyed by the Evil Queen's madness.

Vanda's never been in Regina's shoes, but she does know a bit about worrying over a loved-one. That's why she's confident her next argument will touch a sensitive spot.

"I know. But think of your children." She glances down at Regina's stomach and in the direction of Matthew's coat on the floor. "You need to be strong for them."

Regina rolls her eyes, but the way she closes them and protectively lays a hand around her stomach proves the woman's point.

"You're right. I just wish the youngest would stay asleep for a little while longer instead of showing up at the most unexpected and possibly worse moment ever."

Vanda chuckles, meets Zelena's eyes and smirks. "I never believed that your child would make something other than a big entrance. It's _your_  kid we're talking about, Regina." She says when she looks back at the brunette. "I'm sure it doesn't know how to be subtle."

Regina throws daggers at her, glances at her sister for support, but Zelena just raises her eyebrows in defense.

"Don't look at me! I'm with her."

"Thanks for the support."

"You're welcome, sis." The redhead says affectionately, the back of her fingers tenderly brushing Regina's hairline.

Regina ends up chuckling, looking away, relaxing slightly, "You're not entirely wrong."

"A-ha! See?"

But then, she looks back at them, frowning, swallowing down a gulp when she feels her stomach twists with pain.

"Where is Connor?"

"Maybe right now you should focus on yourself instead of-"

"Where is he, Zelena?" Regina sighs with a hint of annoyance.

The two other women exchange uneasy looks that Regina catches immediately.

"What?"

"He's with Helena," Vanda replies. "He was having a hard time when I left to join you. He understood that something was wrong, and between his father's absence and you being-"

Regina's head falls backward, and she lets out a deep sigh. "I should have checked on him before..."

"Stop." Vanda says, sitting next to Regina and palming her knee. "Seeing you so agitated won't help him. Regina," she calls softly, slightly squeezing her knee to get the young woman to look at her. "You know you carry your emotions in your eyes, and anyone can see that you are in distress right now, especially a child who seeks reassurance in them."

Vanda's words have Regina closing her eyes slowly, and nodding in agreement, her voice calmer when she speaks again. "You're right."

"Now, take a minute to breathe, and let's see how things are going," she tilts her chin towards Regina's large abdomen, "then we'll think about Connor. You have more important things to focus on right now, don't you think?"

Regina nods again, lets her head fall forward. Zelena places herself next to her sister, allowing her to lean on her, while Vanda continues telling her to breathe slowly, and this time, Regina listens.

For a while, they do just that, breathe. Vanda's hand covering Regina's belly, feeling the tense muscles slowly begin to relax as the pregnant woman recovers and wins the fight against her anxiety. It takes some time, and she can tell that her features are still strained with concern, but Vanda doesn't expect her to forget about the situation. No one can nor should do that. What she wants though, is for Regina to be able to make her unborn child feel safe and quiet for tonight, especially if she's really in labor, something Vanda has strong doubts about. The tension in her abdomen seems to lessen, something that wouldn't happen if labor had truly begun.

She glances up at Zelena, who's still focused on her magic, and the redhead slightly nods and smiles. Regina's gotten full control over her own powers, and she's more relaxed. Her head is resting in the crook of Zelena's shoulder, who's keeping her close, her free arm wrapped around her shoulders and rubbing the brunette's arm softly.

"She's exhausted." Zelena murmurs.

Vanda nods. "Rightfully so. But it's a good thing that she managed to relax. Stress isn't good for babies."

"It's calm now."

It was but a whisper, but none of them expected Regina to reply. The young woman moves and slowly pulls away from Zelena's arms, stirring a little and blinking repeatedly, before she rubs her eyes with her palms and fails to suppress a yawn.

"I feel better, and so does the baby."

"That's good." Zelena compliments. One of her hands moves to rub her sister's back. "Maybe you should get more comfortable."

But Regina shakes her head. "Connor first. He needs me."

"With the baby coming, maybe it's best to-"

"It was a false alarm."

Vanda's revelation has Zelena's eyes widening, while Regina calmly nods.

"How can you know that?"

The short-haired brunette explains, "I might be wrong, but it was all related to stress. Regina was perfectly fine before Matthew came back. As she relaxed, the contractions slowed down.  _When_  she calmed down," she opens her palms and pauses to make her understand she's talking about the current situation, "they disappeared. When labor really begins, nothing you do can stop it. I had the same thing happen to me when I was pregnant and Colin had the wonderful idea to come back badly injured from one of your missions." She tells Regina, looking at her this time. "So keep breathing, Regina." She squeezes the brunette's shoulders and smiles, "Take care of  _yourself_ , so you can take care of your children."

xxx

At the same time in the forest

Dean looks around, his hand reaching for a broken branch. He crouches, examines the tree's leaves, the muddy ground, the trunk. From what he gathers, it seems to have been used for support by someone.

They're following a very confusing path, but it's the only one left so deep in the forest. It's a long trail that gives the impression that something (or  _someone_ ) has been dragged. They see very small footprints from time to time, on each side of the trail, dissimilar to Robin's. Full of doubts but determined, the Merry Men don't stop, using the traces of blood still tainting the ground here and there to fill their hope that they're heading in the right direction.

"We need to hurry," Alan says, loud enough to get everyone's attention. "It's almost nightfall. I can barely see the blood trail. We can't fire up a torch without it being put off by the rain. We'll be completely blind very soon."

"I'm not going back without Robin." Little John replies dryly.

"Me neither," Alan agrees. "But our search might reveal more difficult, maybe even impossible, if we can't see anything. We could walk by him unknowingly."

"But Regina won't appreciate to see us giving up," Arthur argues.

"No one's saying we should give up." Alan assures.

"That's not what I meant." His friend rephrases. "I mean that she might make a reckless decision and put herself in danger by going to look for him alone in the middle of the night."

"I'm not sure she would," Colin says. "She has Matthew to take care of, and she's pregnant. She loves Robin, but I think after seeing her kid targeted, and losing her first child, her maternal instincts has probably taken the lead. Which explains why she didn't join us."

"Except that with her magic, now she can get rid of anyone from a distance. It makes her stronger than she was last time, and… Well, she's Regina. I honestly wouldn't want to deal with her pissed off considering the amount of power she can wield now. If she sees us come back empty-handed, I'm not sure she'll be in any state to listen to her maternal instincts."

Little John shakes his head, looks up to the sky when he realizes the rain has started to tame. "We stay until nightfall. If we haven't found Robin by then, we split. Half of us stay here and keep searching; it looks like the rain will stop, so we'll be able to fire up a couple torches. The other half should go back to the camp to explain the situation to Regina, and to grab something to eat, get a bit of rest, to then come back to relay those who stay."

"Works for me." Dean announces.

"Yeah, me too."

Agreement flies among the men, and they go back to searching, moving forward little by little, making sure they don't miss anything, and following traces that appear to lead them deeper and deeper in the forest.

xxx

Thirty minutes later

She notices him immediately. Or rather, she  _hears_  him first.

Now that the rain has stopped, despite the large tent surrounding the group of children finishing dinner, Connor's distinguishably high-pitched and  _angry_  voice is more than audible.

When she flips the tent open, Connor has his back to her, and he's refusing to eat, the way he often does with Little John or her, turning away from Helena, whose patience is running low. It's quite late, all the younger kids have gone off to bed, but the little boy is giving Helena a hard time.

"If you don't eat now, Connor, I'll send you to bed with an empty stomach. Is this what you want?" She threatens, raising her eyebrows, but her threats go ignored by the child.

Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest and argues. "I want daddy and Gina!"

"I already told you they are fine, Connor, but they are busy, they can't come right-"

"I'm here, Connor."

Regina's interruption causes both Helena and Connor to stop, has them turning to her, clear relief in their faces.

" _Gina_!"

Regina crouches behind him, stopping him from leaving the bench, softly gazing at him.

"Hey, sweetie!"

He wraps his arms around her neck, clutching to her tightly, and she lets him. She rubs his back, kisses his temple, holds him to her, especially when he jumps in her arms and she has no other choice but to get up and carry him, despite her dizziness and how weak she feels on her legs. She feels a small tension tear in her stomach, but Vanda's right, the pain is not as unbearable as it was when she was fighting the panic attack.

"Oh, baby, you are so big now." She says lovingly, adjusting the child on her hip the best she can with her overtly large stomach. Vanda sends a hand to her shoulder to steady her as Helena casts a hand forward out of reflex in case she falls.

"My big boy." The young brunette murmurs in Connor's ear. "Come here," she urges, "Look at me."

She pulls back a little, feels Connor's grip close over her clothing and neck.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm not leaving, I promise."

It's only then, after hesitating, that Connor releases his hold and faces her, his eyes meeting hers when he asks shyly, "You staying with me?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, but I am now." She swings him carefully on her hip just a little, gives him an affectionate smile. "I told you I would never leave you again, didn't I?"

"But you and daddy, you are gone."

"Your daddy is in the woods for a secret mission," she says, "but he'll be back really soon. He asked me to put you to bed tonight." She presses a kiss to the tip of Connor's nose. "And I was just in my tent."

"Why?"

"Because I needed some privacy with Matthew."

"Why?"

Regina shakes her head, meets the knowing look of Helena, who recognizes this as the never-ending-questions phase all kids go through at some point. Add that to Connor's constant insecurity, and it's a detonating cocktail.

"Because he wasn't feeling well. But you can't make a scene whenever your father and I are absent, Connor. If Helena or someone else takes care of you, you have to listen to them, do you understand?"

"But I'm scared you don't come back like mommy."

"I know that, sweetie, but Helena did tell you that we were coming back. Next time, I want you to listen to her."

Connor pouts, looks down, but Regina tilts his chin up.

"Did you hear me, Connor?"

The child sheepishly meets her gaze. "Yes."

"Maybe you should apologize to Helena for your behavior, don't you think?"

He shyly glances at the woman from underneath his lashes, "Sorry, 'lena."

The woman tickles his belly quickly. "Thank you, Connor. But don't do it again, alright?"

"Okay 'lena."

"Good boy." And with a duck of her head, she leaves.

Regina brushes a strand of hair away from Connor's face, presses a kiss to his brow, and then glances at the food, changing the subject before he has a chance to ask any more questions.

"Do you want to finish your dinner?"

Connor raises pleading eyes at her, "You help me?" making Regina chuckle.

He's perfectly capable of eating alone, but she knows he has a tendency to ask for help when he feels insecure and needs her or his father's presence and attention.

"Alright, Connor. Tonight, I'll help you."

Once his meal is over, she goes thank Helena, apologizes for the trouble (the woman assures her that it was fine, but Regina insists, she knows Connor can be though when he's not in the mood) grabs the little boy's hand and leads him to her tent, stopping on the way by his room to retrieve his night clothes.

Since both him and Matthew are a little shaken tonight, and she's alone to take care of them, she wants to have the two boys close to her.

When she enters her tent, Zelena is crouched over Matthew, stroking his forehead. Regina asked her to bring him back to the room before she went to check on Connor. Her sister looks up at them, smiles at the toddler, and pulls back from the bed.

"He was starting to wake up. I managed to keep him asleep." She whispers.

"Thank you for watching him while I was taking care of this one." Regina replies with a tug on Connor's hand.

"No problem. I added some magic to his shoulder, I think it should be enough to last until tomorrow morning."

Regina smiles gratefully. "You should go get something to eat. I'm going to put Connor to sleep and then try to get some rest myself."

She smirks at Zelena's satisfied look, because despite her fears and the twist of her guts, Regina agreed with Vanda. If she wants to watch over her children, she has to be able to, and that means getting some rest, because, even though she won't admit it out loud, she's completely drained.

"Wise girl. Call for me if you need anything."

xxx

Twenty minutes later

Little John bends to examine the newly found tracks, his finger tracing the edge of it, his palm coming flat against the earth to feel its temperature. Unlike where they first looked, this trail is less exposed, and now that the storm has stopped, they were able to find some new traces.

"It could be a human footprint, but I can't be certain. The rain has altered its original form."

Colin sighs loudly. "If Robin isn't dead already, a night outside will end him just as surely as a blade would have." he points. "We really need to find him soon and we're not getting anywhere! We've been following the same path for an hour now and we haven't found anything. "

"I agree. But getting angry won't lead us anywhere either. We should take a break." Little John reasons, going against his instincts urging him to turn the Enchanted Forest upside down all night until he finds his best friend. "Half of us are to go back to the camp, yourself included, Colin." He declares in a voice that doesn't leave room for arguments. "You give them an update of our progress and regain your strength. For now, I'll keep following these prints."

"Don't you want to check on Connor?" Alan offers. "I can stay here while you go see him. I'm sure he must be wondering what's going on."

"Thank you, Alan, but if he sees me he won't let me leave, and I know Regina is with him. He's not alone. You go."

"Are you sure?" His friend asks again.

"Positive."

Dean puts a hand on John's shoulder, gives him a nod. "I'm staying."

"Me too." Arthur announces.

A few more men decide to keep searching, mostly those who don't have a wife and child waiting for them, while the others head for the camp, riding carefully through the night, the only light being the one of their torches and the moonlight.

xxx

Forty minutes later

Colin pulls away from Vanda, but not before he kisses her cheek.

After he's removed his damp cloak, she leads him to the table where men are starting to reunite, and puts the cauldron above the fire again, thawing it to feed the starving men.

"Where's Regina?" Alan questions, looking around.

"She's resting with the kids in her tent." Helena answers, setting a plate in front of him. "Zelena left to check on her a few minutes ago. She scared us a bit earlier, she thought the baby was coming."

"Was it?"

"No." Vanda replies while serving them broth. "It was a false alarm. She's fine now."

Abandoning the meal waiting for him, Alan gets up, thanks the women, before heading to Regina's tent. No matter how uncomfortable it makes him feel, despite his physical and mental exhaustion, he's the one who should update Regina.

He takes a deep breath, then peeks his head inside. However, the unexpected image greeting him warms his heart.

Zelena is sitting on a chair, reading a book opened on her lap, while facing the three sleeping forms of Matthew, Connor and Regina, the toddler completely snuggled against the young mother.

It's quiet, so he enters without disrupting the scene, crouches next to Zelena, who's too caught up in her book to notice his presence.

"Hey." He murmurs.

She jumps, brings a hand to her chest, but smiles hopefully when she realizes who startled her.

"Did you find him?" She asks with excitement, keeping her voice low not to disturb those who are sleeping.

"No." Alan confesses, and Zelena's face drops instantly. "Some of us came back to get some rest and fill you in before going back."

"Do you need help with anything? Regina is finally asleep, but I could come with you and lend a hand."

"And do what?" Alan takes her hand, leads her outside the tent slowly, to allow them to speak properly. "Do you know something we don't?"

"Perhaps." Zelena takes a deep breath and squeezes his hand. "While I was watching over my sister, I got some time to think, and I reread a book I have about magic. I was trying to find a magical way to help you, in case you couldn't find Robin."

"And did you?"

"I think so, yes. It's one of the first spells I learned, a variant of the one my mother used to locate her heart when it was here. It's a tracking spell. With everything that happened while you were gone, I completely forgot about it."

Alan brings a hand to her cheek, brushes it softly. "The important thing is that you remembered it now. Does it do what I think it does?" He lifts an eyebrow, interested.

"Yes. I need something that belongs to the person I'm looking for, and the most effective way is to create a potion and pour it on the object, but I don't have the time nor the ingredients to do it. However, the alternate version, a spell, should be enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Magic isn't always precise, but I'd say the odds are good."

Alan reaches in his back and shows her Robin's quiver. "Can you work with this?"

At first, seeing the amount of blood covering the object, Zelena gasps, but she shakes her head quickly, grabs it and smiles. Considering the emotional connection between this object and Robin, their chances to succeed increase exponentially.

"Yes! That's exactly what I need."

"Wonderful!"

He instinctively presses an eager kiss to her lips, full of renewed energy. Surprised at first, Zelena reacts quickly, her hand lifting to cup his cheek, answering his kiss, moaning softly when he pulls back.

"Let's not waste any time then! Transport us there now."

xxx

Two minutes later

"Little John? Arthur?"

Alan looks around, his sight better now that Zelena has increased the power of their torches, illuminating a larger area. She poofed them to where he left his friends almost an hour ago, but the place is empty.

"They must have followed the path we found." He says, kneeling down in front of the last traces he saw. He recognizes Little John's large footprints, smiles, and drags Zelena in the forest, following his friend's tracks easily with the light emanating from their torches.

The young woman follows obediently, glancing around to make sure they're not walking past any of the men. She trusts Alan, so she lets him guide her in an environment she's not accustomed to the way he is.

And indeed, moments later, they catch sight of another torch in the darkness of the night.

"Hey! Guys!" Alan calls, speeding up to catch up with them, his calls making them stop and turn towards him.

"Alan?" Little John questions. "Why are you already back? Did something happen?"

He hasn't seen Zelena yet as she's behind Alan, but the young man steps aside, smiles when he explains.

"Kind of. Did you find Robin?"

"No. We're progressing really slowly with the lack of daylight."

"We might have an easier way. Zelena has an idea to magically find Robin."

The men send dubious, but interested looks at her. At this point, no matter what they think, if she has a way to put an end to this hell and bring their leader and friend back home safely, they're all in.

"How so?"

The young woman shows them Robin's quiver. She closes her eyes, and waves her hand above it, a green smoke escaping and enveloping the leather.

"With a spell that will use the connection between Robin and this object to lead us directly to him."

"What do we have to do now that you've cast it?" Arthur asks.

"As soon as I release the quiver, it will fly to its owner. To Robin. We just have to follow it."

It's Little John who gives the signal.

"Alright, lead the way."

The second Zelena releases her hold on the quiver, it flies through the forest, following the direction they'd been going in. It gives them hope that they were on the right path, and with some luck, that Robin isn't far. With every new step, Zelena feels a mix of hope and anxiety grows within her.

Hope, that they will find Robin quickly and luckily in a better state than if they were still searching by themselves. And fear that she might fail, consequently making them lose precious time in an already complicated and stressful search. Also, not that she would admit this to anyone, Zelena hopes that by helping bring Robin back safely to the camp, it could finally lead the few who are still reluctant to her to accept her. Despite everything they've gone through, and how her situation has improved, especially with the women tonight, there still are some people who think she's not trustworthy.

The quiver goes along a large rock, before it suddenly disappears. The group freezes.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Alan questions anxiously.

"I… don't know." Zelena answers, taking a step forward, looking around her, "Like I said, I didn't use this spell much. But it's not supposed to disappear like this."

"Maybe this means Robin is hidden somewhere around here." Little John replies calmly, eyes scanning the forest, focused. "He must be injured, freezing, and exhausted. Maybe he knew he couldn't go back to the camp on his own in his state, and that he needed shelter from the storm, and wild animals… maybe he went looking for a safe hiding spot to spend the night." He keeps thinking out loud, enumerating the endless possibilities. It's the only thing allowing him to stay calm and not lose hope. "A place that would keep him protected from the cold and threats we all know the forest holds at night."

His gaze is fixed ahead of the pile of rocks in front of them, when he suddenly stops dead.

His friends stare at him, confused, and Alan comes closer. "John?"

The man doesn't reply. Instead, all of the sudden, he rushes forward, walks to the stones, before he disappears where the quiver did.

The others walk there quickly, and finally discover a hidden opening behind the rock, sequestered from where they were standing on the other side.

"I found him!"


	34. You're my future : Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **/!\ Please read this before the chapter !!!**  
>  This story, as dear to me as it is, slowly and inevitably comes to an end. There are two chapters and one epilogue left before it's over. However, I've decided, if you people are up for it of course, to keep posting some OS from time to time, depending on your prompts. It would be scenes I didn't tell, or didn't detail, moments from our heroes' past or future, whatever you'd like me to write that fits the story. You could send them to me through here or twitter, starting today. Of course, I'll finish the story before writing any of them. So if you are interested, let me know, and start thinking about scenes you'd like to read about! ;-)

* * *

 

Right after Little John discovered Robin's location

" _I found him!_ "

Little John shouts as he finally,  _finally_ , catches sight of Robin's body.

Relief is so overwhelming, that he's not immediately stricken by the situation, but as it bores down on him, Little John stills. Robin is, indeed, lying down on the floor, but around him, is a wolf. A white wolf. One that stares at him calmly, non-threateningly. The sudden illumination of the cave as his friends join him helps him understand why, when the man notices a specificity that reveals to him exactly who the animal is.

"What-"

He shushes Dean by raising an arm, and then lowers it slowly to motion for his friends to relax. It's Zelena who allows everyone to understand what she and John have already realized when she quietly states,

"This is the huntsman's wolf."

"The huntsman's?" Dean asks. "Regina's friend? The one who died defending the farm?"

"Yes." She confirms. "Regina told me his wolf's been watching over her since, but she never mentioned he was protecting Robin too."

Little John barely hears them, approaches the wolf carefully -he's not as acquainted with the animal as Regina may be, so he takes care not to make any sudden movements that could frighten him.

"Easy there." He whispers. "He's my friend. Did you help him?"

John speaks the question without really expecting a reply, but when the wolf bows his head forward, as if nodding, he can't help but startle, however he tries his best not to show it.

"Thank you for looking after him. Now it's my turn. Can you let me see if he's okay, so I can bring him back home."

His arguments must be good enough, because the wolf gets up and steps back, only then revealing his bloody fur to the Merry Men.

Recovering from his surprise, Little John casts a hand forward, as if wanting to touch it.

"Is this- Are you hurt?"

But as the wolf shakes itself, it appears to the Merry Men that the blood isn't his… it's Robin's.

Little John rushes over to their friend then, kneeling down, struck by the puddle of blood that has formed beneath his body and the pallor of his skin.

Alan is here a second later, calling his friend's name, helping Colin turn Robin on his back while John stares at him in shock. Alan's hand comes flat against his friend's cheek, and if it's slightly warm where it was in contact with the wolf's fur, the other side of his face is the total opposite, cold as ice.

"He was trying to keep him warm." Alan murmurs, frowning, glancing up at the wolf who's watching them quietly.

However, Robin's skin carries the shadow of a nearly dead man. He's unresponsive, half his face covered in dirt, his lips blue, his shirt torn and barely covering a deep wound -likely the cause of the excessive blood loss, along with several superficial cuts here and there, on his abdomen, his thigh, and his arm.

But when they look more carefully, when they  _listen,_ they see his chest rise even if slightly, his breath erratic and superficial.

A murmur of relief washes over the group at the sound.

"We have to bring him back to the camp immediately!" Little John orders. "I can feel his heart beats, so there's still a chance to-"

He's cut mid-sentence when green smoke envelops everyone. When Little John opens his eyes, they are back at the camp, inside an empty tent.

He turns towards Zelena questioningly.

"What?" She shrugs. "You said  _immediately_."

"Can you do something?" Little John asks, almost  _begs_  anxiously, his voice revealing the seriousness of the situation. He has handled this whole search party with the calmness required to keep his men focused, but now that they've found his best friend, and seen the state he's in, his emotions are catching up with him.

"I'll do everything I can to save him." She says resolutely.

Zelena hears the men gather behind her while John steps aside to give her space as she kneels next to the bed where Robin lays. She breathes in deeply, her hands hovering above the unconscious body.

A green light flows from her fingers and surrounds Robin's body, brighter where it touches the wounds, closing the sliced flesh, bringing color back to his pale skin slowly.

The sudden inhale startles everyone, makes Zelena fall backwards with the surprise. She catches herself on her hands as she stares in awe at Robin's chest rising and falling regularly now.

"Robin?" Little John exclaims, crouching by the bed. "Robin, do you hear me? It's John!"

He holds his breath, leans forward a little, waiting, hopeful, completely oblivious of his friends mirroring him.

Zelena's gut twists with the fear of failure, however Robin appears to be in a better state now than he was when they found him. Color has returned to his skin, and his wounds are closed.

But then, why is he still unconscious? Maybe she didn't do enough?

She can't bring herself to wait and see if Robin opens his eyes on his own. She needs to make sure her brother-in-law is safe and well. Everyone here does. So, she sends a hand forward with the only certainty that she wants to save his life, and lets her instinct guide her, remembering the confident look of her sister when she assured her that her magic could be used to heal, back in that meadow weeks ago.

She catches the worried and hopeful look of Little John next to her, allows discomfort to wash over her as she remembers what he has lost and might lose too if she messes this up. She remembers her sister, and her children, and how much Robin means to them. She thinks of Alan standing behind her, who will be devastated by the death of yet another one of his closest friends. She thinks of Matthew, who, despite his young age, has already lost so much…

It  _has_  to work.

She digs deep into her soul, her mind, her  _heart._ She takes everything she can from the expanding love she has developed for all these people, the care and concern she feels for them, how much she wants to see their faces radiate with happiness. How much they deserve it.  _All_  of them.

The magic escaping her fingers illuminates the room, is so blinding it forces the men to close their eyes. Women come to check and see what's happening, but no one pays attention to them as they stare at the scene with a mix of curiosity and anxiety.

Zelena doesn't hear any of this.

She doesn't see it.

All she sees, all she  _feels_ , is Robin's skin below her palms, even if she's not making physical contact. His flesh, every wound, every inside damage she can see now that she's focused, is carefully taken care of, left without a scar. Her will, her love for her family, fuels her magic and allows her to heal her brother-in-law.

Once she's done and she finally opens her eyes, Zelena is shaken by a sudden dizziness and wariness, exhaustion plaguing her. She falls backward, lands in someone's arms –Alan's - as he calls her name with concern.

She feels tired.  _So_  tired.

She struggles to keep her eyes open, and closes them when a hand brushes her cheek, a strong heartbeat vibrant against her ear. She knows where she is, and she is safe.

" _Robin, are you alright?"_

Little John and Colin jump next to their friend the second Zelena moves away, and they support him as Robin slowly sits on the bed, disoriented and confused.

" _What…_ " he swallows heavily, clears his raspy voice, glancing around him and wiping his face with his hand. "What happened?"

"Don't you remember?"

Robin frowns, but when he delves into his memory, he's assaulted by flashes. He remembers a fight, the terrorized screams of his son as he rode away, the stench of blood, a blade stabbing him, a storm, weakness, a fall, the soft touch of a fur...

"I was attacked." Robin murmurs.

"Yes." John confirms. "Do you know what happened afterwards?"

"I remember feeling as if the fight lasted forever. Eventually, I won, but I had been stabbed and… I wanted to come back home, but I couldn't focus. The rain…" Robin shakes his head, gaze erratic as he searches his memory. "I was so cold. I walked blindly in what I presumed was the right direction and… I don't know, I fell, I think. I remember being soaked to the bones and freezing. But then, there was something against my cheek, like a warm breath... And I was dragged by someone or... something, I don't know. Something wet but warm, and  _soft_ -"

"The huntsman's wolf." Alan finishes for him.

Robin looks up at him questioningly, his eyes lighting up when he understands his friend's words and pictures the scene that was out of his reach until then.

"Right. I don't remember much, I was barely conscious, but I think he brought me to a warmer place, a shelter from the rain. "

"He did. In a cave, miles away from where the fight happened. It took us hours to find you. If Matthew hadn't warned us-"

" _Matthew_!" Robin cuts Alan off. He begins to get up, his eyes frantically searching around him. "Where is my son?"

"Relax!" Arthur urges, forcing him to sit down with a firm hand on his shoulder. "He's with his mother. He was shocked, but the men who attacked you didn't hurt him."

"On the other hand,  _you_ were practically dead when we found you." Little John explains. "If Zelena hadn't used her magic to locate and heal you, I'm not sure you would've survived."

Robin glances at the exhausted young woman, who's blinking tiredly, and sends her a grateful but still confused smile.

"You used your magic to find me?"

"Yes, when I realized the men couldn't find you. They weren't far, actually, and it's Little John who discovered the cave you were in."

"But  _she_ healed you." Robin's best friend admits.

When Zelena sheepishly looks at Little John, for the first time since she moved in the camp, grudge and pain have disappeared to be replaced by thankfulness.

But she's roused from her thoughts by Robin's next question.

"You did?"

She nods tiredly, leans against Alan. "Yeah… how are you feeling?"

"Actually, pretty great." Robin swings his legs over the bed to face Zelena. "But you don't seem very well."

"It was harder than last time." She admits, shaking her head to fight the tiredness. "More injuries. More energy requested." And then, before he cuts her off, she assures. "I'm fine… I just need some rest."

Alan gets up and pulls her with him carefully, "Alright! Time to go to your tent so you can sleep." Addressing his friends, he declares, "I'll join you later."

But Robin dismisses him, "Go take care of her, Alan. I'm fine. I don't know how long I was missing, but I think it's time for all of us to go back to our families."

"We started searching for you about five or six hours ago." Arthur confirms, and Robin nods.

This only confirms his point.

Zelena uses that change of subject to intervene. "Regina is with Matthew and Connor in your tent. She was asleep when I left to help find you, but before that she was more than worried. I'm sure she won't mind if you wake her up to reassure her."

"Thank you, Zelena. I just have one request, if you don't mind." He looks around at everyone so they understand this is for all of them. "I don't want Regina to know the whole truth about tonight."

"But, Robin-" Little John starts, but his friend waves him off.

"I don't want her to know the extent of my injuries. I don't want her to find out that I almost died…" he pauses, thinks for a second, and then finishes, " _again_. She's pregnant, more than emotional," a general chuckle goes through the group. "and we have children relying on us. I need our baby to feel that its mother is fine, and Matthew has been shaken enough. I can't begin to imagine the state he was in when he arrived."

"Not good." Zelena confirms.

"My point exactly. No need to scare them for something that's over."

"Are you certain?" Alan questions. "Because you know your wife. If she has even the smallest doubt-"

"I'll make sure that she doesn't. I'll tell her the truth, but I'll minimize my injuries. I will also take measures tomorrow at work so this never happens again-"

"Stop right there!" Alan cuts him. "I take your shift tomorrow. You stay here with your family. And before you argue," he says when Robin opens his mouth to speak, "I know for certain that Regina won't be ready to see you go back to work so soon."

"Nor will Matthew." Zelena adds. "He was in shock, I suggest you talk to him when he wakes up."

"I will. Thank you." He nods to Zelena and Alan, before he finishes, "Can I count on you all to keep the details of what happened a secret?"

"You have our word."

"Good."

"There's one problem though."

Robin turns to Dean, who hands him an object covered with blood.

"How will you explain this stain?"

The young man is holding the quiver he retrieved in the cave. Its original color has been completely altered by blood.

" _That_  is more than a stain." Colin notes. "We found it a mile or two away from the battlefield. What happened to it?"

"I used it in an attempt to contain the blood in my wound." Robin explains with a frown. He casts his hand forward, his fingers closing over the quiver. "I hoped the leather would be more effective than a simple fabric. I guess I lost it when I fainted."

"You're gonna have to come up with a very good story if you want Regina to believe this comes from minor injuries."

Dean's right. This is way too much blood for Regina to believe he was barely injured.

"I can tell her it's my attackers'."

"And how did your quiver come in contact with them once they were dead?"

Robin turns the quiver in his hands, examining the extent of the damages, and sighs. This is the best present he ever received, the object he's attached to the most, and now it's ruined.

"I don't know."

"Same with your clothes."

Robin looks up at Little John's remark, and glances at his state. His shirt is torn apart, there's a large hole where he's been stabbed, and its white color is now a mix of blood and dirt. Same with his pants.

"Give this to me."

Zelena holds her hand tiredly but with determination, tilting her head to the side when Robin lifts an eyebrow.

"I thought you were exhausted."

"I thought you wanted to spare my sister from knowing how close she was to losing you again." She replies with a confident smirk. "Or do you prefer to explain to your wife and son why your clothes have ended up in such state, and why you already ruined the gift they spent so much time and heart making for you?"

She hears Alan chuckle, and sees Robin's confusion turn into a smile as he releases the quiver to her care.

She inhales deeply, then waves her hand on top of it. In less than five seconds, it's done. She then looks at her brother-in-law, and does the same thing, although making sure his clothes' state fits five hours in a forest after a fight. An easy job, that doesn't require much magic.

"Here! That should do it."

Robin grabs the quiver, examines the repaired leather, his fingers caressing the material and the inscription his son wrote softly, before checking his own state. A few small stains of blood that could totally fit minor injuries, some dirt here and there, but nothing alarming. Regina shouldn't ask too many questions.

"Thank you, Zelena."

"You're welcome." She's about to exit the tent, but she turns to Robin again. "By the way, Matthew has a scarf around his arm. He dislocated his shoulder when he fell from your horse. Don't worry, we took care of it, he's fine." She adds quickly when she notices the concern growing on her brother-in-law's face.

Robin gratefully smiles at her. He sees now why Regina insisted so much on creating a bond with her sister. Zelena is deep down, someone good, who really loves and cares for her family. He's glad he changed his mind about her.

"Thank you for telling me."

Zelena follows Alan outside, the women and most of the men following suit. Robin gets up, perfectly steady on his feet, but Little John and Colin move closer to support him.

"Be careful!" Little John warns. "You were in a bad state."

"And I feel alright." His friend replies with a bit of annoyance. "I need to see my wife and son."

"I'll come with you. I'll take Connor back to his bed."

Before they leave, Colin puts his hand on Robin's forearm, guiltily looking at him.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I should've stayed. None of this would've happened if-"

"We don't know that, Colin. You couldn't of have guessed that they were waiting for me. It's not your fault, and maybe you being with me wouldn't have changed a thing. I don't blame you, my friend." He tells him confidently, smiling. "Now, go! You have your own family to take care of."

xxx

A couple of minutes later

Robin carefully flips the tent open, peeks his head inside and smiles at the sight greeting him. Little John follows him closely, and they smile softly at the sight of Connor snuggled against Regina.

"I honestly have no idea how you'll manage to pull him out of her arms," Robin murmurs, noticing the way woman and child are clutching to each other, even in their sleep.

"Oh, trust me, this isn't the first time." Little John chuckles. "It's a habit. These two don't know how to sleep without holding each other as if their lives were depending on it. They've been acting this way since Connor was old enough to decide that Regina is his favorite person in the Enchanted Forest."

"Sometimes I wonder if she loves him more than she loves me." Robin muses. There's not a hint of jealousy in his voice, he loves his wife's relationship with Connor. Seeing the two interact is always a beautiful sight.

"I can't answer for her." Little John says, "but you know I couldn't be more grateful that she's in his life. Even when Amelia was still here, Regina has always been a great help, she's always been attentive with Connor, and gotten through to him whenever we couldn't. And now, knowing that she'll always be here, that she takes such good care of him… it's a relief. I am so thankful that you accepted the role she plays in my son's life, Robin."

"Their relationship is one of the purest I've seen in my life. Why would I want to take that away from them?"

"I know, Robin. But Connor isn't always easy to deal with, especially since his mother died. He almost ruined your anniversary, remember?"

Robin chuckles and shakes his head. He and Regina laugh a lot when they think back on that day.

"But he didn't. And things are better now, we've found a routine that seems to be working perfectly for everyone. You and Connor are a part of our family, John. Finding time for you isn't a hardship, it's a blessing."

The large man smiles broadly, stares at his friend for a moment. Little John will forever cherish the day he met Robin. Their friendship is something he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

Caught up by his emotions, John wraps an arm around Robin's shoulders, hugging him tight.

"Thank you, my friend." He pulls back then. "But do not dare try to die again, or I'll kill you myself!"

Robin chuckles lowly, scratches the back of his head, and then moves to the other side of the bed, to Matthew, bending over the boy. He trails his fingers through his hair, makes sure not to wake him up, and then kisses his temple, adjusts the blankets on his shoulders, unable to help covering the injured one softly with his hand. This is a small trauma, but so much worse could have happened…Just the thought of it is excruciating, but Robin pushes it away. Everything is fine now.

"I'm here, son. Dad's here, everything is okay." He murmurs, pressing another kiss to his temple. "I love you, Matthew."

He pulls away when the boy sighs and moves, holds his breath until Matthew sags on his side, still asleep.

When he lifts his head, Connor is tucked in his father's arms, head resting in the crook of his neck, undoubtedly sleeping deeply.

"You need to teach me this." Robin whispers, admiring. "I might need it when my baby is born, or it will never leave its mother's arms."

"Whenever you want, Robin. Now, I'm gonna tuck this boy in, before grabbing something to eat. You should have dinner too, you need some strength."

Robin shakes his head, sits on the bed behind Regina, a hand covering her shoulder, but looking at his friend.

"Thank you, John, but the only thing I need right now is to be with my family and make sure they are fine."

"Very well. Goodnight, Robin."

"Goodnight, John."

The second he's alone with his wife and son, Robin takes a moment, watches them as they are sleeping, oblivious of his presence, peaceful. For a minute, he  _breathes_ , and finally, takes the time to realize that he is alive.

When he made sure Matthew was gone, when the fight began, he didn't know how things would end. He was more than outnumbered, knew it would take a certain amount of time for his son to reach the camp and send some help, more time than what a usual fight lasts. Not counting that his opponents were heavily armed, starving for blood, revenge, and more especially,  _his head_.

He took care of half of them quickly though, with not as many difficulties since they weren't good fighters. It seemed that they relied on the number rather than the quality of their fighting techniques. He avoided many blows, however felt the burning pain of a blade slice his skin a few times. Nothing to endanger his life, but it weakened him.

He received a strong blow to the head, shaking his balance, giving his opponents time to take the upper hand. One of them punched him in the ribs, another in his thigh, in his back, forcing him on his knees, suffering blow after blow. However, he managed to stab a man's foot with his dagger, his scream startling his friends just enough to allow Robin to run his sword through three more men.

At the end, they were only four left, but they were strong and tall, and they had barely fought while he was beginning to falter. Despite his strong will, he was slower, failed to avoid their attacks, resulting in him getting hit several more times.

But just as he thought he was going to lose the fight, a strong wind rose as a heavy rain suddenly started to fall, startling them. Robin used this distraction to his advantage and got rid of two more men, leaving the fight to one-on-two.

Robin took a moment to recover while his opponents were still unsettled by the storm, his exhaustion growing as he found himself unable to lift his blade. He barely gotten to breathe since the fight had begun. But thunder and lightning didn't last forever, so he got up, blinded one of the remaining men with a handful of earth before slicing his throat. That's when he felt it. The sharp, intense pain of a blade lacerating his abdomen and thrusting deep inside. He had been unable to suppress a scream, but in a last surge of strength, Robin closed his fist firmly over his sword's hilt before hitting the man behind the head, knocking him out.

He turned around unsteadily, contemplating the body on the ground, the man's skull shattered by a rock, and Robin stayed frozen on the spot, not realizing that that was it, the fight was over.

It was the deafening sound of thunder and blinding light of lighting that pulled him out off his thoughts and made him look up.

Robin witnessed the forest being ravaged with a rare violence, and finally acknowledged the level of his tiredness. He knew then that he had to find shelter. He had no idea how much time had passed since Matthew fled, his friends could not be here for a while. Exhaustion and dizziness helping, he couldn't remember which path was the one leading to the camp. So, after retrieving his weapons, he walked straight ahead of him, hoping it was the right one, delving into his remaining energy, pressing the quiver to his abdomen in the vain hope that it would help. He walked for an indefinite period of time, rain blurring his vision, his progress slow.

All along, he fought to focus on his family, on Regina and Matthew's smiling faces, on the knowledge that they were waiting for him at home, that his baby was due in only a few weeks. He told himself again and again, like a mantra, that he couldn't abandon them. So he walked, until his strengths abandoned him, and despite his will, he collapsed.

That's when it happened. The huntsman's wolf found him, and brought him to a safe place. And then his memories stop.

Robin breathes shakily.

This nightmare is over. He's safe now. Thanks to Zelena, he's  _alive_.

She saved his life again, and if there were any doubts left regarding her loyalty, they have completely faded now.

When she first tried to heal him, he didn't trust her, couldn't believe that she was being honest, because her magic unleashed a spell that almost took his life. Plus, it was too good to be true, Cora's first daughter suddenly defying her when the Merry Men needed an ally the most. For a long time, he was certain she was going to turn against them when they were least expecting it.

He began revisiting his judgement when Zelena offered to retrieve Cora's heart, although he stayed on his guard.

His fear of betrayal vanished during the final battle. He saw Zelena step between her mother and sister with the sole purpose of allowing Regina to say goodbye to Henry. He witnessed her help Regina to get rid of Cora, and she almost fell in the portal to prevent Regina to be swapped in it. The decision to jump and pull her out of there had been easy then.

And as little by little, life returned to normal, Zelena turned out to be a confidant and an attentive sister to his wife, and a loving aunt to his son, constantly making sure they have everything they need.

Even today.

She watched over his family when he couldn't, then she helped in the search for him as soon as possible. And she did  _find_  him. She  _healed_  him, saved his life, despite the cost. Because he isn't blind, she hid her tiredness but whatever spell she cast to save him completely sapped her energy.

Now, he knows she's trustworthy and a real member of his family.

Robin sits on the bed, and he finds himself unable to tear his gaze away from Regina. His hand lifts to brush her forehead, and he removes a few strands of hair away from her face, smiles when she unconsciously leans in his touch. He bends forward to press a smooth kiss on her temple, while his hand skims over her shoulder, her back, soft and gentle, his breath tickling her neck, and Robin smiles when she sleepily whines and shakes him off.

"Regina…" He murmurs in her ear. "Wake up, my love. I'm here."

He trails his fingers through her hair, kisses her temple again, her cheek, her shoulder, wakes her up gently, unwilling to startle her.

She must be worn out if it takes her so long to awake while it's not even midnight.

But then, her eyelids flutter open, her gaze fixed ahead of her at first, until she realizes that there's a presence behind her. She turns around tiredly and sighs, rubbing her eyes in the process.

But when her dark orbs meet his blue ones, she stops dead.

"Am I dreaming?" She questions with a low and raspy voice.

Robin chuckles softly, shakes his head and cups her cheek tenderly. "No, my love. It's really me."

She sits up warily, still defiant and confused.

"You seem…" she looks him up and down. "relatively fine."

"I am."

Her finger traces the edge of one of his shirt's rips. "I thought you were attacked."

"I was. Zelena healed my injuries."

Regina looks up at him. "Zelena?" She must be realizing that her sister isn't in her tent anymore, because Regina looks around her anxiously. "Connor?"

"He's with his father."

The news seems to reassure her, because she breathes out, then meets his gaze, although her eyes are still clouded with concern and uncertainty.

"What took you so long to come back? The men left the camp to rescue you hours ago."

"The storm began during the fight, and after I got rid of my attackers I was out there in the open, soaked to the bones. That's when the huntsman's wolf found me." Regina's eyes widen. "I followed him, and he led me to a safe place so I could rest and find refuge for a while. It was deeper in the forest than I had anticipated," Robin replies, thinking of the short story he made up. That's not so far from the truth.

" _His_ wolf helped you?" She asks with a strangled voice.

Robin is well aware how important the huntsman was to his wife. They discussed many times about the fact that his wolf seems to have taken a liking in her, and that he's protected her multiple times since his master died. But never, up until now, did the animal step in to defend someone other than her.

"He did."

"I never thought he would... I mean, he proved more than once that he was watching over me, but to look after my loved-ones... This is  _incredible_."

"I never believed this wolf was any regular animal." Robin whispers with a smile, the back of his hand brushing Regina's astonished face.

But when the situation sinks in, when she recalls what the conversation initially was about, she looks up at him dubiously.

"If the fight was over, why did you go hide while you knew we were coming to rescue you? Why didn't you come back to the camp instead, or try to meet up with our friends?"

Robin mentally curses his luck, because Regina is so smart, and she thinks through everything all the time, he knew she'd push him like this.

" _Because_ , even if I beat my attackers, it was a hell of a fight, and I was caught in the middle of a pretty bad storm, Regina. I was exhausted and lost my landmarks. So, I preferred to follow someone who knew where he was going instead of taking the risk to get lost or freeze to death."

"How badly injured were you?"

Robin holds his breath. This is the tricky part.

"I received some blows." He admits, her gaze instantly lowering to take in his state. "And I was drained. But if I managed to find shelter so far from where I was attacked, and if I am here right now, it means I was  _fine_ , my love. I just needed to rest and warm up."

Regina looks him up and down, and Robin can't say if she's convinced or not.

The frown baring her forehead gives away the fact that she is trying to see the lie in his story. She must find none, or be tired enough not to push, because the next thing he knows is that arms are wrapped around his neck, a soft breath against his skin, hair hitting his face, this sweet scent he loves so much enveloping him.

Robin brings a hand to cup Regina's head, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment. He revels in the warmth of his wife's body pressed against him, in the curve of her stomach where their baby rests safely, in the sight of their son sleeping peacefully, and he thanks whatever higher power is watching over them that has allowed him to be found in time.

He pulls back, and Regina's eyes still carry the concern and worry she must have felt, the relief washing over her now, her dark orbs shining with the small light of candles.

"You're really here?" She asks almost desperately.

"Yes, Regina. I'm here with you, and  _this_ ," he punctuates his word with a brush of her cheek. "is true."

She cups his chin, thumb brushing his jaw. "I was so scared."

"I know, my love, I'm sorry."

"How could this happen? My mother is gone, Snow and David are ruling and people love them. We were supposed to be safe."

Robin sighs. She's right. Things were supposed to be different, better. But he doesn't need his wife to keep worrying, so he leans back, absentmindedly toying with her hair.

"They were men holding a personal grief against us, either from my new position as sheriff or from your encounter with the bandits you saved Granny and Ruby from."

"But Matthew said they threatened him."

"They did." Robin concedes. "That's when I made Argo take off. I hoped my horse would bring our son to safety." He instinctively glances behind her at the boy, before locking eyes with his wife again. "To  _you_. But they were men led by their anger and resentment, and my love, you and I both know that no matter what we do, there will always be people like this in the world. Now, all you need to know is that they are dead. Nothing else matters."

"More could come."

"That's possible, but not certain. I have a feeling they were a lonely group of rebels, not part of something bigger. However, we will send someone to warn David tomorrow, so we can find a solution to prevent events like this from happening again. Does that help you feel better?" Robin explains calmly, smiling as he speaks the last words.

"A little." Regina replies with a shrug. She leans forward, melting in his embrace once more, holding onto him and breathing him in, unwilling to release him. "You never do that to me again, Robin.  _Never_ , you hear me!" she whispers.

Robin pulls back and smiles, strokes her cheek and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not really keen to experience the same thing twice, trust me."

"And you're not leaving the camp tomorrow!" She orders with a lifted eyebrow.

"Already settled with the men. Alan will replace me."

"Good."

She grabs his hand in silence, presses it against her stomach.

"The baby needs reassurance too." she explains lowly.

Robin willingly cups the curve of her belly, his thumb rubbing her skin through the fabric of her clothes.

"Did it react to the situation?"

Regina winces, closes her eyes, and sighs. Robin has a gut feeling that she doesn't really want to tell him the truth, but he knows she will. This is  _their_ baby, she wouldn't hide anything related to it from him.

"I thought labor had started." She admits sheepishly.

There's a pang of panic hitting Robin's chest, his fingers closing over her abdomen for a second.

"What do you mean?"

"After I managed to calm Matthew down and he fell asleep, I started having contractions. Vanda and Zelena stayed with me, and tried to appease me. When I was calmer, it disappeared. Vanda believes it was a false alarm due to the excess of stress."

"Are you sure everything is okay now?" Robin asks anxiously.

Regina nods firmly to reassure him. "Yes. I'll go see my midwife within the next days, but I've felt the baby move without any other contraction since."

"I'm sorry, Regina."

"It's not your fault." She shrugs with a low voice. "I'm just happy you're alright and you found your way back to me. That's all that matters."

She rests her head on the crook of his neck, allowing his hands to wander on her stomach and to wave in her back in reassurance. But when she pulls back to face him, Robin notices her slightly shaking her head and blinking repeatedly, as if trying to get rid of a dizziness.

"Are you alright?" He questions with concern, cupping her jaw.

Regina tilts her head to the side, smiles weakly. "Yes. I just didn't eat anything, so I-"

"Stay here!" He cuts her, gets up, kisses her brow. "I'll get us something."

They eat in silence, glancing regularly at Matthew, who's completely oblivious of the situation as he's still sound asleep. They've decided not to wake him up and risk ruining Zelena's soothing spell. Tomorrow, they'll have time to talk.

There's not much room left, barely enough for a man and a very pregnant woman, but they manage. Robin spoons Regina and wraps an arm protectively around her belly, his mouth next to her ear, murmuring words of comfort and love, until he feels her relax, finally asleep. It's only then, that he allows himself to drift towards the world of dreams, with the reassuring knowledge that his family is here, safe and sound.

xxx

The next morning

This dull pain in his shoulder won't go away, no matter how hard Matthew tries to fall back asleep. He winces, opens his eyes briefly, but enough to realize it's barely dawn. He raises a hand to massage his injured shoulder, but as he does, the previous day's events come flooding back to him.

His eyes are suddenly wide open, his mind wide awake, and Matthew sits up, glancing around him. His breath catches in his throat when he realizes who is next to him.

His parents.  _Both_ of them. His  _father_ is here.

A father he thought he had lost, until he woke up.

" _Dad_!"

His relieved and loud shriek is a rude awakening for his parents. Regina and Robin startle, confused and sleepy at first. When she catches sight of her very excited son, Regina begins to understand, however she brings a hand to his chest to halt Matthew's enthusiasm and give them a second to wake up.

"Dad, you're here!" The boy calls again.

"Yeah..." Robin yawns, wipes his face with his hand, scratches the back of his head, before inviting his son to join him. Matthew jumps in his arms, hugging him tight with one arm, and Robin returns the boy's fierceness, breathes his son in and sighs in relief. "I'm here, my boy."

When Matthew doesn't release his father, Regina says tenderly, weaving her hand in the boy's hair. "He's not going anywhere, sweetheart."

Matthew takes a deep breath, before finally pulling back and locking eyes with his father. Still, he can't help but ask, "You're really here?"

"I am, Matthew."

"But," Matthew glances between his parents. "I saw the men, their weapons, and you were-"

"Better than them." Robin finishes for him. Better not give a 13 year-old any details about something that was so traumatic to begin with. "You doubted that your dad was the best fighter ever?" He questions with a lifted brow, holding back a smirk.

"No," the boy admits with a sheepish shrug. "But I was scared for you."

Robin cups the back of his head, smiles down at him. "I know you were, and I'm sorry that you had to witness such a scene. But I'm fine, Matthew. When I came back, you were asleep, and your mother and I" He exchanges a look with his wife, both silently agreeing to spare Matthew from knowing how hectic the evening was. "We decided to let you sleep. You needed it." He covers the boy's hurt shoulder. "I heard you wounded your shoulder."

"Yeah." Matthew looks at it sheepishly. "I fell from Argo."

"That's okay, sweetheart." Regina speaks kindly, catching her son's attention. "It happens to everyone." She earns a shy smile in reply. "How does it feel?"

"Painful." Matthew admits. "That's what woke me up."

"What do you say we get ready and then go see your aunt, so she'll help you deal with the pain? Does that work for you?"

Matthew nods, but stays silent. He hugs his father once more, then his mother, reassuring himself with this physical contact. When they're about to exit the tent, he stops them, looks up questioningly.

"So, everything is alright now?"

"Yes, Matthew." Robin confirms. "Everything is fine."

xxx

Several hours later

The day goes by slowly, and despite the events Matthew doesn't skip school, so at some point Regina and Robin find themselves alone. The young woman has left Connor under Helena's care, after reminding him to listen to the woman and be a good boy. She loves him to no end, but she's not in the mood for one of his tantrums today.

So, for a few hours it's just Regina and Robin, and damn they needed this! Robin's new position as sheriff has taken him away from his home, but they hadn't realized to what extent until he could spend a full day at the camp with his wife.

"I could stay like this forever." Regina whispers.

If she could purr, she would. They are lying in bed quietly, and Robin holds her close, his fingers tracing small figures on her back. They are just enjoying themselves, and it feels so good, even if it's mid-afternoon and they could totally find something more productive to do. But considering where they've come from, they need this private and intimate moment. Screw the whole world for five minutes, they deserve a break.

"I missed this." Robin replies in the same hushed voice. He punctuates his words with a squeeze. "This is the best feeling in the world."

Regina smiles, grabs Robin's hand and leads it to her curve. "I think the baby agrees. It hasn't been this quiet in a long time."

Robin strokes her stomach tenderly. "Yesterday's stress wasn't good, for any of you."

"Yeah. But we're fine now. I can tell it's different."

Robin looks up at Regina, confused.

"What do you mean?"

She adjusts her position on his chest to face him without craning her neck.

"It's hard to explain. There's this…  _connection_. Not only do I feel the baby move, but it's almost as if we could feel each other's emotions. Yesterday, the anxiety and fear overwhelming me didn't only come from me. It also came from," she glances down towards their joined hands on her belly. " _Here_. From our baby. I could feel it was panicked, scared to lose you before getting to meet you."

Robin's eyes are glassy at the revelation.

"What did you do?"

"What Vanda suggested. I calmed down. And when  _I_ was calmer, then I was able to ease  _its_ fears. With good and reassuring thoughts, or maybe just by being less anxious I guess, the baby settled down."

"Can you tell me how our baby feels right now?"

Regina smirks, brings a hand to her husband's cheek and moves her face closer to his.

"It's relieved that you're here with us, safe and sound."

Robin smiles, moves closer, his lips seeking Regina's. She smiles in the kiss, her hand sliding to cup the back of his neck and keep him close.

" _Hello_!"

They jump and move apart at the cheerful voice of their son storming in the tent, a hand over their racing hearts, frowning faces scolding him.

Matthew stops abruptly from jumping on the bed when he realizes that he interrupted something, and startled his parents.

"What?"

"Honey, next time, please don't storm in here screaming like you just did." Regina says as softly as she can while she's recovering. "What if we had been sleeping?"

"Oh!" Matthew's shoulders sag. "I'm sorry."

Robin sends a hand forward, invites the boy onto the bed, and Matthew is happy to go, removes his shoes and coat and snuggles against his father.

"What makes you so enthusiastic, son?"

Matthew shrugs sheepishly. "I'm just happy I get to spend time with you, that's all. Since the war is over and you became sheriff, we don't often get to be all together, like we used to. Mom's here, but you…" he looks down, bites his lower lip. "not so much."

Robin frowns and ducks his head to the side, Regina's sigh catches his attention.

"He has a point." She confirms.

"Would you prefer I quit?" Before any of them reply, Robin continues. "I love this job, but I love you guys so much more. If you want me to-"

He's stopped by Regina's hand on his forearm and Matthew pulling back suddenly.

"Robin, you don't have to-"

"No!" Matthew exclaims, cutting his mother off. "You being sheriff is  _amazing_! My dad is the famous Robin Hood and now he's  _sheriff_. I mean, every kid is jealous of me, dad!" The comment brings tears to Robin's eyes. He didn't think who he is and used to be was so important for Matthew. "Plus, you love this job and you're the best at it. And Snow and David need you there. You have to keep your position as sheriff! Me and mom, we'll adjust. But don't quit! What you're doing there is too important!"

Robin brushes his son's cheek, thoughtful, touched, emotional, but most of all, silent. He glances up at his wife, who has listened to the whole monologue with teary eyes. She gives him a shrug and a nod.

"He pretty much summed my thoughts up."

"I imagined you'd be afraid of me going back there instead."

Regina tilts her head to the side and admits. "To be honest, I am."

"Me too." Matthew adds.

"But" Regina continues, her hand reaching out to her son's and squeezing in comfort. "I believe our son is right. What you do out there has important consequences,  _good_ consequences. Quitting because we ask you to is one thing," she lifts an eyebrow. "and that's something we  _haven't_ done." she points. "Quitting because you're afraid is another, and that's not who we are. Robin, we've never stepped back in front of danger. We've  _faced_ it,  _together_. And I seem to remember we won most battles." She smiles and brushes his cheek tenderly. "So keep your job as Sheriff, Robin. Keep helping people.  _That_ , is what you're actually the best at."

xxx

Two days later

"He's tall enough to reach the lower part of our closet. Time for Vanda to turn around, most of our clothes were on the floor." Colin chuckles, crosses his feet on his desk and leans back on his seat. Every day sees another of Tommy's mischief since the little boy learned how to walk.

"I remember how Amelia would go crazy when Connor began grabbing everything within his reach and throwing it on the ground." Little John recalls.

"Be careful, Robin. You're next!" The dark-haired man warns him playfully, laughing heartily. "I can already picture Regina freaking out because of the mess your tent will become."

Robin shakes his head. "My baby isn't even born yet. Let us enjoy the last moments of peace we have left."

_"My, watch people crawling under work is overwhelming!"_

David steps into the station with a smirk, drawing the men's attention. Robin gets up and walks briskly to him, pulling him into a hug. He pats the Prince's shoulder warmly.

"David! Thank you for answering our call so fast."

"It was the least I could do." The young man shakes the hands of Little John and Colin. "Snow apologizes, she has several meetings to attend and couldn't join me."

"I understand. You two have quite a busy life."

"We have. She was disappointed to miss you, especially when my mother asked me to drop her off by the camp so she could check on Regina."

"Knowing Snow, she didn't appreciate being left behind."

"Indeed. But she takes her duty to heart, she accepts the sacrifices she sometimes has to make."

"She's a good Queen." Little John says resolutely. "Just like you are a great ruler. There's a reason why we fought by your side."

David nods and smiles warmly at John, squeezing his arm in gratitude.

"Now, how about we discuss the reason I'm here?"

Colin gathers the sheets scattered on his desk, puts them in a drawer, while Little John and Robin set the chairs around the table.

"Please, do!"

They take their places, and David crosses his hands in front of him.

"First of all." He turns towards his close friend. "Robin, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine, David. I'm grateful for your concern, but I promise you, I'm alright."

The young man nods. "Good. When Arthur told us what happened, even as he assured us you were unharmed, I admit we were worried. I needed to hear you confirm it."

"That event is behind me now. But I refuse to see any of us face something similar again. This is why we asked for your help."

"Indeed. I discussed it with my counsellors and Snow, we decided to award a dozen men to this station."

Colin chokes, his eyes opening widely. "A  _dozen_?"

But David stays imperturbable. "Yes. Like Robin just said, we can't allow such a situation to repeat."

"We all agree on that." Little John admits.

David's tone is strong, determined. "Considering the gravity of what happened, we have to strike hard. Our politic is a non-violent one," He waves his hand and nods towards Robin. " _unless_ necessary, but I want to keep following this code. So, in the light of the recent events, we agreed on a dissuasive approach. Enough qualified men to cover the area should do. You could each supervise a small team, or work with them independently, that's something I leave up to you. Of course, you would use this number so none of you will find yourselves alone, ever again. I strongly believe, despite the fact that you're among the most talented men in both kingdoms, that we need to expand the work force, especially in an area that was left tocriminals during the war."

Little John leans back in his seat. "That makes sense."

"I agree." Robin confirms. "Also, that would mean we wouldn't be understaffed everytime one of us is absent."

"Exactly. The men I chose," David explains. "have been recruited among the ones trained for my personal guard. Their pasts have been checked, they all fought for us during the war. They even, for some, suffered losses."

"Like many people here. That should serve their resolve to protect the villagers." Colin notices.

"That's what I count on. Also, for those who have families or relatives, they all accepted to move to this area completely, which means they will have another motivation to fight against criminals. The men will arrive tomorrow morning, their families will join them within the week."

"It seems like everything is under control." Robin says, satisfied. He couldn't be prouder of David and how he's now handling things. He saw his potential years ago, but never did he imagine he would use it to do so much good. "It works for me." He looks at Little John and Colin to collect their approval, which they give without hesitation.

"Perfect." David smiles. "Things are settled. One more thing, all those men volunteered to work with you. I can assure you, they are motivated, and they take their duty to heart."

Robin gets up when the Prince does, and shakes his hand. "Just like we do. Thank you, David. I never expected so much."

"That's the least I can do for my friends." He turns around and retrieves something one of his men gives him, before handing a scroll to the Merry Men. "Here's the list of their names and abilities. They've been trained with all weapons, but they all have a specific competence. Everything is written down." He shakes Little John's and Colin's hands. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with my mother, and say  _Hi_ to Regina before going back."

"Have a safe trip back, David."

Once the Prince is gone, Robin unrolls the scroll, eyes scanning the list with curiosity. Colin and Little John are by his sides doing the same. They discover that David not only provided them with freshly recruited and trained men, but also with people who were top of their classes.

Colin raises shining eyes from the paper. "Well, that promises to be very interesting."


	35. You're my future : Chapter 5

A week after David's visit

"Here we are, Leanne!" Little John waves his hand towards the camp, the woman entering the place for the first time. "Can I get you anything? Some water perhaps? Or food?"

He leads the midwife through the camp as he speaks, lets her look around so she can get acquainted with the environment, since it'll be her home until Regina has her baby.

With Amelia's death and Tuck's absence, there's no one qualified enough to monitor her pregnancy nor help her during delivery. So, months ago, on their trip back from visiting Snow and David, the group stopped by a village near Nottingham where they encountered Leanne, a young and competent midwife. In an instant, she managed to win Regina's heart over with her soft demeanor and caring tone, and with her determined green eyes so full of goodness and strength.

The following months, Regina went to see her twice every month, mostly with Robin, sometimes with Zelena. But after Regina told her about the false alarm, and witnessing the young woman's exhaustion, Leanne offered to settle at the camp until she had the baby, something Regina gladly agreed to.

"Maybe later, thank you. I'd rather check on Regina beforehand."

"Of course." Little John calls Arthur as he walks by them, asks him to bring Leanne's bags to the cabin they assigned her, then addresses the woman again. "Follow me."

They haven't entered Regina's tent yet when the loud sound of laughter and animated talks reaches them. When they step inside, the place is overcrowded.

Regina is on her bed, Connor against her side, with his favorite horse toy in hand. Along her other side, Robin holds Matthew against his front, both laughing as madmen at something Little John and Leanne ignore. And next to the bed, facing the group, two seats have been placed for Alan and Zelena.

"Hello!" Regina greets when she catches sight of them.

"Hi, Regina." Leanne comes closer and takes the hand Regina holds out for her, squeezing it warmly.

" _Daddy_!" Connor shrieks suddenly, startling everyone. The child pulls away from Regina and begins to stand on the bed, so fast he loses his balance, but his father catches him quickly.

"Hey there, be careful, my boy!" He lifts the child and hoists him on to his hip. Connor isn't used to seeing him in the middle of the day, so he can only understand his boy's enthusiasm. Unfortunately, his excitement will probably fade when he tells him he has to go back to work."You don't want to fall over Regina and the baby, do you?"

The boy shakes his head happily, clutches to his father's neck.

"I'll take him with me while I grab something for lunch so you can have some privacy." Little John declares with a wink, earning a grateful nod from Regina and Robin.

"We're leaving too," Alan announces, standing and clasping Zelena's hand on his own.

"Matthew?" The red-haired woman calls, motioning for the boy to follow them. "Come with us, darling. Lunch break is almost over, so don't forget your books for school."

The boy hugs his parents tight, kisses his mother's cheek, before he crawls out of the bed and grabs his books then his aunt's hand. He stops in front of Leanne to ask her politely, "Take care of my mom and my little brother or sister, please."

"I promise," she assures with a soft smile.

When they finally find themselves alone, Leanne sits on the edge of the bed and clasps her hands on her lap.

"So," she says, smiling at the couple, "did anything new happen since last week?"

"Nothing besides the usual," Regina answers. "The baby stays really active, especially at night. I try to take naps when I find time, like you suggested, but it doesn't fully compensate for the lack of sleep."

"Did you also delegate some of the tasks you do during the day, like I asked you to?"

Leanne's smirk meets Robin's one, who lifts an eyebrow and looks at his wife with interest. He had fought with Regina more than once about her inability to stay put and relax.

Regina ducks her head to the side. "A little."

"What does this mean exactly?" Leanne questions, sensing that she's holding back some information.

Regina admits, "Dean has fully replaced me for my archery lessons."

"And about housework?" Robin's asks, knowing very well Regina has trouble letting this go, despite the fact that she takes care of both her tent and Little John's, along with Matthew's clothes, and that it represents a huge amount of work for a pregnant woman.

"That's not something I can ask someone else to do for me, Robin. I don't really have a choice here," she points with a lifted and challenging eyebrow.

Robin gently tilts her chin up. "I disagree, my love. How many times did John and I tell you we can deal with it after we return home? And I'm sure that if you ask Matthew, he'd be happy to help and take care of his own stuff. He's grown enough for that."

Regina sighs, leans against Robin's shoulder. She's too tired to argue over and over again about this, she knows that with Leanne in the room, she won't win this one.

The midwife indeed speaks, with a benevolent tone bare of any reproach. "No one can force you to slow down, Regina. But you have to accept that it's one of the ways to give your body the rest it needs to prepare for the delivery."

"I know," Regina admits. "But I can't stay inactive when there's so much to do."

"How about," Robin begins gently, "you  _finally_ give John and I a chance? We lived without women for years before we met you, remember?"

"I also remember that for you, cleaning meant blowing on dust and brushing dirt under your bed. You also washed your clothes using water only." She arches an eyebrow, challenging and amused at the memory.

Leanne can't suppress a chuckle, while Robin guiltily bites his lower lip, however tries to keep a serious composure. "I promise you that we'll try our best. But more seriously, Regina, it's for our baby's sake.  _Please_."

The pleading makes Regina cave, and she nods. "Alright," yet she can't help but add, "but I'll supervise! I won't help you," she clarifies, so there's no misunderstanding. "I want to make sure you do things properly."

Robin glances at Leanne for approval. "That seems like a good compromise," the woman admits, before changing the subject. "Besides that, have you experienced any pain, discomfort, or contractions like last time?"

"Contractions, no. On the other hand, pain..." Regina winces. In front of Leanne's expecting look, she continues, "Well, there's nothing really new, but my back is getting worse. I bet it's to be expected considering how my body is changing, but sometimes I could use a break from the constant twinge down my back."

Leanne asks several questions, to which Regina answers honestly, before the midwife examines her. She palms her abdomen, feels the baby move under her palms, reacting to the pressure she puts on.

"Every symptom you describe is normal for a pregnancy so advanced. Although stress and exercise definitely are things you should avoid, I'm not worried."

"I'm not either," Regina declares. "I just feel uncomfortable and huge. Also, I'd love to stop waking up my husband every night because I can't find a comfortable position"

Robin rolls his eyes and sighs as he squeezes his wife's hand. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't mind, Regina!"

"It doesn't mean you have to suffer the-"

"I don't  _suffer_  anything!" He cuts her off. "You're pregnant with  _our_  baby. Everything I can do to help, I do it with pleasure, even if it means giving you a back massage in the middle of the night."

Regina narrows her eyes, but there's no meanness in the look she sends him. When she turns to Leanne, her lips twitch in a smirk.

"See? I told you, he's impossible. I don't know what I did to deserve a man who's so good to me."

The midwife tilts her head kindly, and she's about to answer but Robin cuts her off, "You don't want to start debating over who's the luckiest one, my love."

He wins a sheepish smile and a slight blush from his wife, their moment interrupted by Leanne. "Since it hasn't improve and it bothers you so much, I can give you something that will lessen the pain, and consequently, help you sleep better." She pauses for a second before announcing, "although, given your baby's size and position, I wouldn't be surprised if it arrives within the next days."

"Already?" Regina questions, a hint of anguish piercing in her voice.

"Isn't it too soon?" Robin asks with concern.

"It could be. But it seems big enough to fit a later term than 8 months. Don't worry! You're reaching the end of your pregnancy, your baby seems healthy and strong. You might hold your little boy or girl sooner than you think, Regina."

xxx

Two weeks later

The chilly air of early spring combined with her advanced pregnancy has kept Regina mostly inside tents lately, either her own or those used for storage. She kept her word to let Robin, Little John and Matthew take care of chores, but found a way to participate in the camp's life without overworking herself, as promised.

But today is different.

There's a dull pain in her back and abdomen that appeared mid-morning, and hasn't left her since. She waits until school closes for lunch break, then seeks out Zelena, who notices that something is wrong immediately.

"Are you alright?"

Matthew looks up at his mother when his aunt speaks, and Regina weaves a reassuring hand through his hair, widening her smile a little.

"Yeah. I'm in labor."

"What does that mean?" The boy asks.

She holds both his cheeks, locks eyes with him, and announces with a broad smile. "That you are going to meet your brother or sister very soon, sweetheart."

Matthew's eyes light up, shining with excitement, and Regina can see that he's stopping himself from bursting with happiness, so she hugs him close and presses a kiss to the top of his head.

Zelena's eyes grow wide. "Did you alert Leanne?"

"Yes, I just saw her, and that's why I'm here," Regina exhales slowly, a hand covering her stomach. "She confirmed that work has begun, but she also warned me that a first delivery can last a while before I have to push, so she advised me to either rest or walk a little while she readies everything."

"I bet you chose to walk," The redhead says with a smirk.

Regina shrugs guiltily. "Yeah. Apparently, it helps speed things up. She'll join me in a bit."

"What do you need me to do?" Zelena asks resolutely.

"Walk with me? I don't feel steady enough to wander on my own right now," Regina sheepishly scrunches her nose, then adds, "I mean, after you eat lunch, of course!"

"Don't you want to eat something too?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, I'm not hungry. You, on the other hand," she looks down at her son, "are going with your friends."

"But, mom-"

"I know you want to stay with me, but I'm fine, Matthew. Go eat something, then go back to school. You'll be the first to know when the baby is born, I promise."

Matthew seems to hesitate, but deep down, he must know his mother is right. He hugs her tight, struggling to let her go, but when she assures him that everything is alright, he smiles, then sprints in direction of Jenna and Jonas.

"The whole camp will know within five minutes now," Regina declares in a chuckle.

Zelena grabs her sister's arm, wraps it around her own to anchor her.

"Speaking of that... What about Robin? Don't you want me to fetch him?"

"No, don't worry! Dean is already on his way to tell him."

"Alright."

They wander around the camp, slowly, Regina gripping Zelena's forearm, stumbling a little but her sister steadies her. They first stop to tell Vanda about the situation, to keep her aware that Zelena might not be available to teach her classes, depending on how fast things evolve. When the break is over and people go back to their activities, the two sisters watch the Merry Men train the recruits for a moment. Regina admits that though she loves her pregnancy and doesn't regret anything, she does miss training. She might have kept on giving archery lessons until a month ago, but she had been advising more than demonstrating, and she hasn't been able to practice anything in months.

As they pass each training field, Regina revels in explaining to Zelena how weapons work, and in sharing a few memories of her own training. Archery lessons with Robin, body fighting with Alan, sword fighting with Little John, handling knives and daggers with Tuck. She can't explain how much she misses it, this quiet time back before the war begun. It was slow and peaceful times, when she learned what real life was really made of.

"It wasn't always easy. At first, my body was so sore Tuck had to make me potions to ease the pain on a daily basis."

"Did you learn how to handle all the weapons at the same time?"

Regina laughs. "Oh yes! They didn't go easy on me. I was training several hours a day every day, as much as they were." Regina shakes her head and smiles at the memory. It feels like it happened a lifetime ago. "They pushed me, forced me to go beyond my limits, and 'I hated every minute of training but I said to myself 'Don't quit! Suffer now, and live the rest of your life as an independent woman'. Years later, I have no regrets about it."

She stops then, leans against the food storage cabin, one hand rubbing her stomach while she closes her eyes.

Zelena puts a hand under her sister's chin and asks with concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm fine," Regina breathes, bending forward slightly, her hand closing over her cloak. "This is just a contraction, it will pass-" She inhales sharply, her jaw clenched and body tensed, "eventually." Looking up to the sky, evaluating the rain that started to fall slowly an hour ago and is now becoming thicker, she frowns, tries to turn her breathing back to normal. When a thunder rumbles above them, Regina decides it's time to take cover. "Okay, I'm done walking. Can you please take me back to my tent?"

Zelena teases her. "Afraid of a little storm?"

"Don't start with me, Zelena!" Regina replies on the same amused tone. She looks around her. "I hope Robin and Dean don't get caught in it."

"Shouldn't they be back already?"

Regina shrugs. "The road to Nottingham is long, so not necessarily. But they should arrive soon."

"Regina!"

Leanne walks to them quickly, tugging her coat close. "I saw you stop. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. But I'm getting tired, and with a storm brewing – _what_?"

Regina looks down, and she doesn't need to speak, because Leanne understands immediately.

"Your water just broke. Looks like things are moving forward a little."

xxx

An hour later

Regina doesn't immediately notice Robin walking inside the tent as she's sitting at the edge of her bed, bent over her abdomen, her eyes screw shut and jaw clenched to hold back a painful cry while Zelena and Leanne encourage her through a contraction. When it subsides, she leans back and exhales shakily, wipes her already sweaty forehead, and finally realizes Robin's presence.

Her husband promptly rushes to her and kneels down, resting his damp hands on her thighs –it's a real storm outside now, and his cloak is soaked, drops falling on the ground, creating small puddles of water. He rubs gently, one hand moving to her belly and stroking tenderly, feeling the incredibly tensed muscles under the tip of his fingers.

"Took you a while," Regina whispers tiredly.

"I'm sorry, my love," Robin answers, tucking her hair behind her ear and brushing her cheek delicately. "I wasn't at the station when Dean arrived and by the time he found me, the storm had already started and we were caught by the rain. The path was so slippery and the wind so strong the horses were having trouble remaining stable, so we could only go so fast."

"But you're here now." She whispers before breathing in a much relieved voice, her hand finding his and squeezing tight.

Under different circumstances, she would have yelled at him for being so late, and made him bear the brunt of the situation and the excruciating pain weighing upon her. But after the last years, she won't. She may be in pain, she may feel like her abdomen is splitting in two, but she's too grateful to have him by her side, safe and sound, right here and now.

"I am," he assures, closing his hands over hers. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts like hell," she admits with a wince, "but I'm okay."

"What do you need me to do?" Robin offers.

Regina seems to hesitate, glances at him, evaluating his soaked state, but requests in a shy voice, "Can you sit behind me, so I can lean back between contractions?" He's drenched and she shouldn't let him climb on the bed, but she needs the physical contact, needs to feel his strong arms and reassuring embrace surrounding her more than she needs to stay warm.

"Of course!" He gets rid of his cloak and jumps behind her in no time, pressing his front to her back, urging her to get some rest, and she does willingly, sighing in relief as her head rests against his shoulder and his arms wrap around her.

"When did it start?" Robin asks, one hand stroking Regina's forehead, the other linked with hers over her abdomen.

"About three hours ago," Leanne replies.

"I should have stayed with you this morning instead of going to work," Robin sighs as he presses an apologetic kiss to Regina's temple.

"You couldn't know it was going to be today," his wife replies.

"And don't worry," Leanne adds. "There's still a few hours before your baby shows up. You're here for the most important part."

"Several  _hours_?" Regina exclaims with a whine, snapping her head to the side to stare at Leanne, who smiles sympathetically.

"I told you first deliveries can be long."

But Regina doesn't reply, instead she lets out a small cry covered by a sudden thunder, the tent illuminated by lightning, something Regina is completely unaware of as she doubles over and closes her eyes. Despite the cacophony of the storm, she listens to Leanne's advice, about her breathing mostly, focuses on what she has to do instead of the overwhelming pain crashing over her, repeating the same process as contractions continue, growing in frequency.

Robin's hands find her back and rub in circles. He's unable to help feeling nervous. This situation both excites and terrifies him. He and Regina went through so much, he can't find himself fully relaxed as she's enduring so much pain. He wishes he could relieve her of some, but knows it's impossible. Although this time, the pain she's going through will give them the reward they've always wanted.

A baby.

The product of their love.

A new addition to their family that will only bring them more joy.

"Alright, Regina," Leanne says once the contraction has faded. "Your contractions are closer, I need to check where we are." She waves her hand towards the mattress. "Lie down, please."

Robin moves back on the bed, guiding his wife against him, her head resting on his shoulder, face turned towards the crook of his neck, and he presses a kiss to her forehead, waves his fingers in her hair soothingly.

"I'm going to leave you alone," Zelena announces softly, squeezing her sister's hand and sending her an encouraging smile.

She wraps herself in her cloak, and begins to flip the tent open, but a gust of wind pushes her back inside, heavy rain entering the tent, thunder and lightning startling everyone this time. She stays stunned, staring at the now closed entrance, her face and front wet from the rain.

"I'm afraid you're stuck in here with us," Leanne declares, snapping Zelena from her thoughts.

"Looks like it," the redhead admits, turning around to face her. Leanne might have been living at the camp for weeks, but everyone agreed to keep Regina and Zelena's magic a secret. The two sisters never used their powers in public besides on the battlefield, never officially revealed the news, so no one besides the Merry Men and their families are aware of their existence, something they intend to keep this way. Therefore, poofing herself out of here isn't really an option.

Regina outstretches her hand towards her sister, who moves closer and takes it.

"Lucky you, you'll get to meet your niece or nephew before anyone else."

The sisters exchange a small laugh, hiding a slight discomfort, something that Leanne catches immediately. She faced it already, and knows exactly how to deal with it and what role give to Zelena.

"Maybe you could help your sister," she suggests.

"How so?"

Leanne is about to answer when she's cut off by Regina, who's suddenly tensing, announcing another contraction just as another thunder rumbles above them. Once it's passed, she examines the young woman.

"Alright, Regina. We're not quite there yet." In front of Regina's incredulous look, she adds on an encouraging tone. "But things are moving forward, and you're doing great! Whenever you want to start pushing, tell me before doing anything, okay?"

"Okay," Regina sighs, leaning her head in the crook of Robin's neck.

"Zelena," Leanne addresses the woman, resuming what she planned to tell her. "Sit next to your sister, and place your hand where mine is on her abdomen." She guides her as she speaks. "You'll feel the contractions build, and then decrease. I'm going to show you how to recognize them, so while I try to get the baby out, you'll guide Regina through the contractions. Do you feel up to it?"

"I do."

"Perfect."

Meanwhile, Robin holds his wife tightly, strokes her neck, her back, her side, presses kisses on her temple and head when she sags against him. Her hand seeks his, clutching to his fingers, her forehead pressing against his cheek, her nose burying in his neck, and he can feel how in dire need of reassurance she is.

"You okay?" He whispers in her ear, drawing her attention, making her look up at him.

"Yes. Just stay with me."

He pecks her lips. "I'm not going anywhere, my love. There's no way I'm letting you go through our baby's birth alone."

She chuckles, but breaks off in a strangled moan, gritting her teeth, her body becoming rigid as she readies herself for another contraction.

For the next hours, he supports her the best he can, with gentle touches, back massages, warm kisses on her temple, kind words whispered in her ear between two deafening thunders' and blinding lightnings. He anchors her to him, uses the fresh towel Zelena hands him to wipe her sweaty forehead.

Regina totally abandons herself to his care, all the while listening to Leanne's indications, breathing slowly during each contraction, taking some rest between them.

And when the moment comes, Regina starts pushing.

She groans and moans and breathes and grips Robin's fingers with so much force she notices him stretching them when she loosens her hold.

"I'm sorry," she whispers with a voice hoarse from exhaustion.

Robin shakes his head, his hand lifting to cup her chin, turning her face towards him so she meets his eyes, "I love you."

Regina's face goes from strained and tired to grateful and glowing, her smile meant just for him. She shifts a little, just enough to be more comfortable and not crane her neck to look at him, brings a hand to cover his cheek, trailing her fingers through his hair the best she can.

"I love-  _Ooh_!"

She stops, ripped by another contraction, and Leanne urges, "Focus, Regina! It's time to push."

From where she's sitting on the bed, Zelena watches her sister endure her labor with a bravery she's not sure she herself possesses. She admires Regina's calmness. She clearly is in a lot of pain, yet she does as told, obediently follows the midwife's indications, pushing through her tiredness until the contraction finally fades, letting her husband take care of her whenever she gets the chance. Knowing her sister's temper, she was expecting screams and complains, but then she remembers how much Regina had to lose to get to this moment, and how grateful she must feel to be so close to finally meeting her child.

Zelena also couldn't help but notice how the storm appears to be triggered by Regina's labor, how contractions are always quickly followed by lightning and thunder. She thinks of what Vanda told Regina weeks ago, that the young woman's child could only make a big entrance. She also remembers that when Robin disappeared, the storm began relatively quickly after Regina realized what happened, and stopped when she calmed down. Today, rain started almost when labor did. This is just too many coincidences. Maybe Vanda was right. Maybe Regina and Robin's baby is making itself known to the world.

If Zelena mostly focuses on helping Regina through contractions, witnessing her sister realize her dream and hearing Leanne's soothing reassurance and guidance create a strange feeling running down her spine. It's almost as if by helping her sister bring her child into the world, and assisting a midwife in her work, she just lit up something that was dormant inside her. At this particular moment, she knows that she's right where she belongs.

"You're almost there, Regina!" Leanne encourages. "You're doing a very good job. I can see the head already."

"Thank God…" Regina whimpers. "I'm so tired."

"I know, darling. Stay with me, soon you'll hold your beautiful baby."

Regina smiles tiredly, feels Robin's embrace on her tighten, his lips against her temple and she leans against him.

"Can't wait," she whispers.

"I'm so proud of you, my love," Robin murmurs in her ear. "You're so beautiful, so brave. I'm so grateful and lucky to have you."

"And I you."

She barely has time to answer before her breath hitches, her stomach rippled by another contraction. She bends forward once more, takes a deep breath that she releases slowly, pushing with all her strength until the pain decreases, feeling her child make its way outside her body.

But the next contraction comes so quickly she doesn't have time to recover, and Regina lets out a broken wail as she bores down even more, gripping her thighs and pushing until she lacks air. Once it passes, her strength leaves her and she falls backward, inwardly thanking Robin when he cushions the shock by spooning her gently.

With the pounding of her blood rushing in her veins, her dizziness, her strained and sore muscles, Regina feels so drained she thinks she will pass out, but she holds on by focusing on Leanne's promise that she's almost at the end.

Regina feels her baby's head make its way outside her body just as the loudest thunder she's ever heard breaks the sky. She barely hears the midwife tell her to stop pushing, before Leanne asks Zelena to bring her some towels and get the washbowl ready.

"Alright, take a break, Regina. It's almost over."

The young woman leans against Robin with a breathless moan, his hands covering her forehead and stomach instantly, his lips pressed against her temple again, supporting her as a solid rock. She forces her hands up, wraps them around his arm, his wrist, thumb brushing slightly, deepening the physical contact between them.

"Regina?" she hears Zelena call her name as her sister palms her stomach, and Regina looks up from Robin's shoulder. "Be ready, I feel one coming."

Exhaling tiredly, Regina pushes herself up with shaky hands, feels Robin adjust his position to support her the best he can. She grips her thighs again, inhales slowly, closes her eyes for a second before staring at her sister and Leanne.

"I'm ready."

"Alright." Leanne presses her hand against her stomach to confirm Zelena's words, nods firmly. " _Now_!  _Push_!"

Regina pushes with all the energy she has left, but she can't suppress a cry of pain, can't hold back her exhaustion and how painful everything is. She needs this agony to end so she can  _finally_  hold her child!

In the middle of her distress, she still manages to hear Robin's soothing voice as he keeps murmuring kind words in her ear, encouragement, compliments, soothing sweet nothings that help more than he can imagine, giving her the necessary strength to bear the excruciating level of her pain.

But when her baby exits her body to enter the world, Regina startles, all traces of cramps and contractions suddenly gone. She's unaware of the sudden silence following the last thunder, of the fact that the rain isn't hammering against her tent anymore. She barely realizes that Zelena has left her side to go help Leanne, the two discussing in hushed voices that Regina can't hear. She's frozen, stares with apprehension at the two women bent in front of her.

When she hears the first cry of her child, the strong and loud wail, proof of its well-being, Regina jumps, almost chokes on a sob. Robin straightens up, trying to catch a glimpse of their child.

"Leanne?" he asks tentatively.

Zelena looks up at them with a broad and reassuring smile, her blue eyes glassy, "It's a girl."

She waits until Leanne is done cleaning and wrapping the baby in a thick blanket, then Zelena gathers her niece in her arms, and brings her to her parents.

"Congratulations! You have a beautiful little girl."

Regina stretches out her arms, collects her baby against her chest, gazes at  _her_  in awe, speechless, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

"A girl," she tells Robin with a shining smile, nuzzling his cheek and pressing her forehead against his chin, her eyes back on the baby. " _Our_   _daughter_."

"She's perfect," Robin replies, a hand coming to stroke the baby's cheek, appeasing her wriggling a little. However, it's not until Regina removes the blanket enough to press the baby directly against her own skin that the child stops crying, her  _oh! so tiny_  palm coming flat against her mother's breast.

"That she is," Regina agrees. She sniffles, not holding back her tears of joy, unable to stop smiling, caressing her baby's forehead, pressing a kiss to her cheek, to her nose, an overwhelming feeling of love washing over her, her heart swelling with the purest of emotions.

She guides her daughter towards her breast when the child appears to begin looking for it, removes the top of her dress, jumping slightly when she feels the suction over her nipple, the baby lashing out and making little noises of contentment.

She is completely oblivious of Leanne taking care of the remnants of her pregnancy, of Zelena tentatively and carefully exiting the tent to tell their friends the good news. All she knows, all she  _feels_ , is that right now, tucked in her husband's embrace, their baby safe in her arms, gripping the skin of her breast as she's being fed, she finally feels complete.

She ducks her head to the side, her temple back against Robin's cheek as they both watch their child in silence, unaware of the glowing light emanating from her.

It's only when Zelena enters the tent again, that she hears her sister call her name softly and tilt her head towards her.

Stepping out of her dazed state, Regina finally realizes that her hands are shining, her magic enveloping her, showing the everlasting love she carries for her family. She should stop it, but she can't move, can't find it in herself to disturb her child to hide her magic from the woman who just helped her give birth. Leanne has her back on them as she cleans the dirty towels and tools, putting everything in bags.

Regina looks at Robin, who frowns, twists his mouth to the side to show his dilemma. After everything they've lost, the last thing he wants is to lose his freshly extended family by having people going after them because of his wife's magic.

But, as if **s** he had heard their thoughts, Leanne turns around with the same comforting smile that won Regina's heart.

"Have no fear," she takes a step towards the couple, looking at them and Zelena. "I'm not scared of your magic. In fact, I had a feeling you might have powers."

"You did?" Regina asks in astonishment.

"Yes," Leanne says softly. "With a mother, and possibly a sister," she nods and smiles at Zelena, "wielding magic, people started believing that you might be too. In fact, we hoped you were. After everything you did for us, we knew we could trust you, that you would use it to help us. And we were right." She says firmly, proudly, with an endless gratitude."You never let us down, Regina. You, Robin," she looks over at the man, "The Merry Men. You were the only hope we had left. I may have lost my husband in this war, but you saved so many more, and we owe you so much, that I'm glad I got to give you some of that happiness that was taken away from you for so long."

Regina and Robin stay silent during her speech, discovering the loss Leanne suffered and never shared until now. When she's done, Regina swallows heavily, and Robin replies gratefully.

"Thank you."

Leanne answers with a slight nod, grabs the bag at her feet, then moves closer and covers Regina's hand, staring at her and her husband.

"No, Robin. Thank  _you_."

She squeezes Regina's hand, who returns the gesture, a comfortable silence settling between them as they exchange a look full of care and affection. Something passes between them, a deep respect, but also, the knowledge that a special bond has been created today.

Leanne breaks the physical contact when she straightens up, and gives the new mother a few words of wisdom.

"I suggest you to eat and drink something. You've used a lot of your energy. I'll tell your friends to prepare you two some good food, you deserve it. In the meantime, I'll clean this." She tilts her chin towards the bag she's holding, then turns towards Regina's sister. "Thank you for your help, Zelena. Not everyone manages to stay as calm and effective as you were in such situation."

"It was my pleasure," Zelena looks over at her sister and brother-in-law. "The storm has stopped. I only told them that the baby was born and everyone was fine, I leave the rest up to you."

"Thank you, Zelena," Robin answers.

The midwife gives her warmest smile to the new parents before she flips the tent open. "Congratulations! If you need me, I'll be by the well."

Once she's gone, Regina winces as she carefully adjusts on the bed, leaning back in the comfort of Robin's arms, both looking down at their baby who'd fallen asleep against her mother's chest.

"Matthew is outside," Zelena announces lowly. "He's very impatient to meet his sister and to see you. Should I let him in, or do you want some more time to yourselves?"

The answer is obvious, flows from Regina's lips immediately, Robin nodding at the same time. "Let him in!"

The boy enters the tent discreetly, shyly, his head peeking inside before he makes his whole way in, waiting for his parents before moving closer.

Robin and Regina notice, share a knowing look, understanding the thoughts probably occurring in their son's head, his insecurity suddenly back, his fear of being rejected because they might not want him anymore now that they have their own baby.

But he's wrong.

Matthew  _is_   _their_  son, he is a part of their family, their hearts, their lives. He has every right to share this moment with them.

Regina sends him a loving smile, and Robin opens one of his arms for him, urging him to join them. "Don't stay so far, son! Come here! Take a look at your baby sister."

The smile answering Robin's words is still tainted with doubts, but Matthew almost runs to his father, climbs on the bed and snuggles against his chest. Regina lifts her free hand to cup his chin gently, her thumb caressing his cheek.

"There," she says softly, pushing the blanket just enough to let him see the baby's face. "She fell asleep."

Matthew gazes down at his sister, eyes opened in amazement, bending over her and holding back his breath, afraid to wake her up.

"It's a girl?"

"Yes," Regina nods.

"She's so little," he whispers. He's dying to touch her, but his mother's next sentence has him look up at her.

"Just like you were when you were born."

Matthew frowns. "How do you know that?"

Regina leans forward, presses a kiss to her son's forehead, gives his neck a little squeeze when she pulls back. "I know," she says simply.

"What's her name?"

Regina and Robin exchange a knowing glance. They kept the names they had in mind a secret.

Robin smiles at his son, then down at his daughter.

"Her name is  _Dawn_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally all caught up with what was posted on ff.net. The next chapter has been sent to betareading a while ago, but I have no idea when I'll receive it. And anyway, OQPromptParty is coming in a few days and I'll focus on that first.   
> But I promise, you won't have to wait for months before discovering the end of our heroes' adventures.


	36. You're my future : Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, there it is. Journey to freedom's penultimate chapter. There's only the epilogue left. I have to admit that the idea of posting it next saturday after OUAT's series finale crossed my mind, but I won't be this cruel XD
> 
> This chapter is long, I tried to 'conclude' as much of the story as possible. Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it!
> 
> Also, don't forget that **you can still send prompts** for this story through reviews, DM, twitter, curiouscat, Whatsapp... I'm collecting them and will write them once the story is over, in between chapters of Chase and WIRM.
> 
> Good news for those of you who are reading it too, but Chase is going to be updated in a few days, so be ready guys! The hiatus is finally over!
> 
> Again, thank you for your kindness and support, for your beautiful reviews, and a huge thank you to my betas who took on their personal time to help me with this story. Damn, it's not even the final chapter and I'm already emotional...

* * *

An hour after Dawn's birth

Since Dawn was born late in the day, her parents decided to give their little girl a few hours to rest in the privacy of their tent, surrounded only by her parents and brother, before introducing her to their friends. And, even though Zelena respects and understands their choice completely, she reminds them that the Merry Men are excitedly awaiting the news about their baby, and suggests they should hear it from one of  _them_  and not from her.

"Stay here, warm with our children," Robin tells Regina softly as he gets up from the bed, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple and Matthew's forehead. He then bends down to Dawn, the back of his finger caressing her little cheek tenderly. "I'll tell them about our little treasure."

When he exits the tent, he faces a partially ravaged camp from the storm, filled with joyous men and women eagerly awaiting to hear about the newest addition to the camp.

They cheer and hail happily when Robin announces that he's the proud father of a little girl, patting him on the back and congratulating him warmly.

Yet, Arthur can't help but comment, "Now, let's hope she doesn't have your wife's temper, or we're all doomed."

That earns him a poke on the shoulder by Little John, but Arthur shrugs in reply, adding, "Who here, doesn't dread Regina's thunder? Imagine having two versions of her who get pissed off at the same time? None of us would survive that."

Robin laughs, finding a bit of truth in his friend's joke. "I'll deal with my girls, Arthur. I'll make sure to protect this camp from them."

Little John looks up at Robin, touched, he grabs his shoulder, and speaks with a quiet but strangled voice that betrays his happiness. " _Your girls_. I love how that sounds."

Robin nods at his friend. "Me too, John. Me too."

Matthew stays up late that night, just as mesmerized by the little girl as his parents are. The evening is filled with cuddles and sweet words, with kisses on foreheads and welcomed privacy, something they all need and enjoy immensely.

Now, it's morning, they're all cleaned up, and they have dressed Dawn in an absolutely adorable white little dress. As per Regina's request, they will introduce Dawn to Little John and Connor first, face to face, in the privacy of their tent, beforeheading outside and allowing everyone else to see her. She wants to take her time with Connor, because he still needs a lot of reassurance and explanations, and she wants his relationship with Dawn to be free of any kind of jealousy. Plus, she and Robin have a special request for Little John, something they want to discuss with him privately.

"I'm going to school, mom."

Matthew says from behind Regina as she's bent over Dawn's crib, finishing getting the little girl dressed. Coming around, the boy lets the baby's tiny fingers close over his larger one, and rubs his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Have a good day, baby sis'! I hope you aren't too tired, you're gonna meet a lot of people today."

When he turns to Regina, she's staring at him with shining eyes, looking him up and down, admiring the handsome young man he's becoming. She cups both his cheeks and presses a warm kiss to his forehead.

"Have a good morning at school, honey. I'll see you for lunch." Before he exits the tent with his father, she calls out his name, and adds, "I love you."

Matthew responds with a smile that could light up the darkest nights. "I love you too, mom."

After a last kiss to his forehead, he's off, disappearing outside with his books in his hands.

Regina spends the next few minutes watching Dawn in awe, barely able to believe that Dawn is the product of her love with Robin. That  _she_  was able to help create such a  _perfect_  human being. Her daughter is slowly dozing off, the gentle caresses of her mother's thumb against her cheek lulling the newborn to a peaceful sleep, and just seconds after the baby closes her eyes, Regina hears a noise behind her. Robin enters the tent, immediately followed by Little John and Connor. When the little boy catches sight of her, Connor releases his father's hand so quickly the man doesn't have time to stop his son from running to Regina and calling out her name in an excited shriek.

"Connor!" He scolds, keeping his voice down, still firm and authoritative. "What did I tell you? No yelling!"

Connor is already in Regina's arms, and when he's startled by Dawn's sudden cries he looks up sheepishly, and the young woman can't suppress a chuckle at his guilty expression.

"Sorry, Gina."

She brushes his cheek gently and shakes her head. "It's okay, sweetheart. You surprised her, that's all."

"Didn't want to."

"Shh, Connor," she coos softly when she notices what looks like tears in the boy's blue eyes. "Don't worry. But that's why your daddy told you to be quiet. Babies don't appreciate it when there's too much noise." She turns towards Robin, who's now cradling Dawn, rocking her slowly. The sight of her husband cuddling their child brings a broad smile to Regina's lips, one he catches and answers equally. "See?" She tells Connor, inviting him to walk closer. "She's calming down."

And indeed, it doesn't take long for the new father to appease his child's wriggles with sweet words, and tender brushes of her cheek and forehead.

Regina tilts her head towards the bed to motion for Robin to sit down, and she takes place next to him, places Connor on her lap so that he's facing her daughter.

"Connor, sweetheart, Robin and I want you to meet someone. This is Dawn, she's our daughter."

Robin slightly pulls down the blanket, letting the little girl's fists point towards the sky as she yawns and stretches, before her half-open eyes fall upon Connor's curious face as he gazes at her.

"Hi, Dawn," The boy says shyly at first.

When she doesn't cry, he speaks proudly, his lips turning into a toothy grin. "My name is Connor!"

He begins to move his hand forward, but stops himself, looks up at Regina, who smiles and nods, a hand brushing his hair tenderly.

Hesitantly, he leans forward, until his little hand closes over Dawn's tiny one, the baby wrapping her fingers around Connor's thumb. The boy glances up in awe, meeting Robin, Regina and his father's affectionate gazes.

"She like me," he whispers, looking back at the little girl.

"She does," Regina confirms. "I'm sure the two of you are going to be really good friends." She rubs his back, kisses his hair, the scene bringing tears to her eyes, and she doesn't need to look up to know that both John and Robin are feeling the same. It moves her, to see her daughter and this child she loves as much as if he were her own, connect for the first time.

_This_  is a fresh start, the first meeting of two children she loves with her heart and soul, and it truly is an incredible feeling.

"She's a baby, which means that I'm going to have to take care of her a lot," Regina explains carefully, punctuating her words with tender gestures. "So I may not be able to spend as much time with you as I have lately. But only for a while, until she's a bit older."

She expects a protest, she knows John does too, there's a reason why they planned a private meeting with Connor, but instead his answer leaves her speechless.

Connor beams at her. "Can I help?"

"Help with what, sweetie?"

"With the baby. Can I help you, Gina? I'm a big boy now, you say that."

She exchanges an astonished, but touched look with Little John, who's as taken aback by his son's request as she is.

Regina's hand runs through Connor's hair, gentle and soft. "I did, sweetheart! Because you  _are_ an amazing growing boy. Are you sure that you feel up to helping me with Dawn, Connor?"

He nods eagerly, his enthusiasm unwavering. Regina turns to Robin, who has been a silent observer during the entire scene. He ducks his head when his wife meets his gaze.

"I think you already know my answer, my love," he says before she voices her question, sending her and his best friend a reassuring smile.

So Regina looks down at Connor again. "Of course, sweetie. I'll let you help me when I'm taking care of my daughter."

Connor jumps eagerly on her lap, briskly removing his finger from Dawn's grip, startling the baby who starts whining and crying at the unexpected and sudden loss of contact. But Connor gasps, bends over her, his ohso tiny hand tickling her belly as an apology flows from his lips.

"Sorry, baby! Didn't want 'care you!"

Regina lets Robin comfort Dawn as she holds Connor close, reassuring him with kisses to his head, breathing in his soft scent when he presses himself further into her embrace. She leans forward, spies Little John peeking over Robin's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Dawn. Robin notices too and faces his friend to show him his child.

"She's absolutely beautiful." Little John gasps when he gets a full view of her, his hand covering Dawn's belly tenderly.

"Do you want to hold her?" Robin offers.

John is surprised at first, but quickly accepts and takes the child in his arms expertly. Those are things that aren't easily forgotten, and it wasn't so long ago that Connor was this small.

Yet, he can't help but comment, "Wow… I almost forgot how tiny newborns are."

The emotion in his strangled voice is obvious, his glassy eyes revealing his train of thought, but before any of them can utter a word, John looks up with a smile.

"Now you'll understand why Amelia was so exhausted during Connor's first months. Even if Dawn turns out to be a calm baby, something I wish for you, this is the beginning of sleepless nights and exhausting days. But I can assure you," he glances at his son, snuggled against Regina, "it's a wonderful experience, definitely worth it."

Regina chuckles, scratches Connor's scalp, and simply stares at him while he's busy examining a strand of her hair. "Oh, I'm sure it is! She kept me busy last night, didn't let me sleep more than an hour straight. But I don't mind. This family is everything I've ever wanted."

She feels Robin's hand lacing together with hers, and she closes her fingers over his, leans closer to her husband, nodding at him.

"Little John?" She calls softly, catching her friend's attention. "We have something we want to ask you."

"Sure." He tickles Dawn's belly gently, bites his lower lip as her tiny fingers instantly close over his large one.

"Regina and I talked about this," Robin starts, making his friend look up at him. "And we wish for you to be Dawn's godfather."

Little John's astonishment is so strong that he freezes, his brow furrowing, then opens his eyes widely.

"Really?"

"Yes," Regina assures. "We can't picture anyone else to fill this position. You're one of our closest friends, John, and with you we know that Dawn will never be alone."

"And if she ever needs someone other than us," Robin continues. "We want her to know that she can always come to you. If she's furious with us and refuses to talk to us, because I'm not blind," he adds with a smirk. "And considering the storm that happened on the day she was born, it looks like she has her mother's temper, there definitely will be huge fights."

" _Hey_!" Regina scolds, pulling away and smacking his shoulder, Connor gripping her neck tightly as she surprises him.

Robin ignores her interruption, instead grabs her fingers and brings them to his lips, kissing her knuckles before releasing his wife, resuming his talk with their friend. "We'd love for her to see  _you_  as someone she can always rely on, someone who will always be there for her, even when she thinks she's alone."

Regina adjusts Connor in her arms, all the while observing Little John, tears visibly forming in his eyes. She knows where those unshed tears come from, they all do. That's not the main reason why they chose him out of all of their friends, but knowing it will deepen and strengthen the bond between their families played a fair part in Regina and Robin's decision. This will only make them stronger.

"So, will you, Little John? Will you be our daughter's godfather?" Robin concludes.

It takes less than a second.

Carefully holding Dawn against his chest, Little John opens his free arm, hugs Robin, then gets up to do the same with Regina, who meets him halfway. He replies to their request full of pride and a cheeriness they hadn't seen in months.

"This is the greatest honor! I accept, and I promise you that I will never let her down. I'll make sure she knows she can come to me for any situation."

Regina smiles, satisfied and happy. "Thank you."

" _But_ ," their friend continues. "I have something for you, too." He expertly grabs something from his bag, while keeping Dawn safely secured in his arm.

He hands Regina a large piece of fabric, and it takes her a moment, but as she unfolds it, she recognizes what it is, and freezes.

"John?" She asks, waiting for an explanation.

Because in her hands, is the large scarf Amelia used to carry Connor when he was a baby, the one that allowed her to keep up with her everyday life and keep her newborn close to her at every moment.

"She'd love for you to have it."

"But…" Regina puts Connor on the ground, lets her hand run over the fabric softly, blinking several times, too many memories resurfacing at the same time.

"Gina?" Connor calls when he notices her sudden change in mood, glancing between her and the cloth she's holding.

Little John walks closer, tilts Regina's chin up and announces with his usual kindness that she loves so much. "Amelia loved this scarf. I think it was her favorite souvenir of Connor's first year."

"That's why you should keep it!" Regina argues.

"No. That's why  _you_  should have it," Little John corrects. He glances down at his confused son, scrapes his blond curls tenderly. "All Amelia wanted was to see you happy, to see you finally have the family you always wanted. She couldn't wait to see you become a mother. And now, knowing that you have Matthew and Dawn, that you take such good care of our boy," he winks at his son before looking up at his friends resolutely, "I know that she's at peace. And the best way to honor her, is to give  _this_ ," he tilts his chin towards the fabric in Regina's hands, "a second life. To have  _you_ , her best friend, use it for your own children."

"And besides," he lets out after a moment, smirking slightly, wanting to ease the atmosphere. "Since Matthew's too big." Regina and Robin find themselves joining Little John in a short but honest chuckle, before the man finishes. "I think it will be perfect for your daughter."

Little John has stopped talking for several seconds, but Regina is still staring at the gift, stunned and speechless. When she looks up, she meets Robin's eyes, and he nods at her, urging her to wrap the scarf around her.

She hesitates, but she does so with trembling hands, stands awkwardly with the sling hanging across her chest, fingers sliding along the material.

Little John comes to stand in front of her and hands Regina her daughter carefully, helping her adjust the baby against her chest, arranging the fabric to secure Dawn closely to her chest.

"There," he steps back. "Perfect."

Regina can't suppress her smile and leans against Robin who wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her temple.

"Stunning," He murmurs in her ear, making her shiver, her smile widening even more.

Regina finds herself drawn to Connor, the little boy watching the adults in confusion,  _Amelia's_  little boy, the very one who used to be carried in this sling. She carefully crouches down in front of him and takes his hand.

"Why are you sad, Gina?"

She sniffles and laughs softly, wiping her tears away. "I'm not sad, sweetie. I'm happy, because your daddy just gave me the most beautiful gift." She points to the sling around her, and Dawn sleeping peacefully in it. " _This_ , belonged to your mommy."

The little boy's face lights up and turns into a wide toothy grin, which increases Regina's flutter of her heart. " _My_ mommy?"

"Yes, Connor," she says affectionately. "She used it when you were just a baby, because she loved you  _so_  very much. Now, your daddy gave it to me so I can carry Dawn."

"Because you love her very,  _very_ much too!" Connor exclaims happily, his smile contagious. None of the three adults imagined the four year-old would accept and understand the situation so easily. So, Regina replies simply, dropping a kiss to his forehead.

"Exactly. I love her as much as I love you."

xxx

Several hours later

"It's Zelena, can I come in? I have an unexpected surprise."

Regina lifts her head from Robin's chest, blinking away the sleep she was drifting into, wipes her face with her hand.

Robin invites Zelena in, allowing his wife a few more seconds to wake up. As expected, Dawn's first night wasn't a restful one. Add to that the accumulated exhaustion from the last months, and the many emotions introducing her to their friends erupted this morning, and you get a very tired Regina, one who dozed off the second she laid down with her husband.

"Hey," Zelena greets softly, taking in the sight of her sister's exhausted features and the peaceful moment the couple was sharing. "Do you feel up to a visit?"

"Of course," Robin nods.

The redhead flips the tent open as if to let someone in, surprising both Regina and Robin who were just expecting Zelena to come in. Until…

" _Hello_!"

They catch sight of  _her_ as she grows into a human size. Regina is on her feet in an instant, hugging Tinkerbell tightly. The fairy smiles and hugs her back. It's been a while since she last visited her friends.

"How have you been, you two?" She asks when she pulls back from Robin's embrace with a wide and shining smile. "You look tired, but I'd say you're happy. Am I correct?"

"You are," Robin confirms. "We couldn't be more thrilled, to be honest."

"That's great, you deserve it." Tinkerbell claps her hands together. "Where is she? Where is your little bundle of joy?"

Regina turns around, carefully lifting a barely awake Dawn from her crib and secures her against her chest, before walking towards the fairy. "How do you know it's a girl?"

"I'll explain it in a second." Tinkerbell leans forward, her face lighting up. Dawn's eyes are staring above her, traces of sleep still visible but her gaze already full of curiosity. Tinkerbell brings a hand to her belly, tickles her gently. "She has your eyes, Robin. And her mother's beauty. She's absolutely gorgeous."

"As our friend, you can't really be considered objective," Regina teases.

Tinkerbell looks up with a mischievous smile and glittering eyes. "Actually," she starts. "You're not entirely wrong. Dawn is special to me."

Regina squeezes the blonde woman's arm affectionately. "Thank you, Tink."

But the fairy shakes her head. "No, Regina. I mean that she  _really_  is special to me."

The young parents frown. What does she mean?

Glancing at his daughter, then back at the fairy, Robin questions, "How so?"

Tinkerbell smiles down affectionately at the child, holding out her hands as if asking for permission to hold her, something Regina grants willingly. Once the baby girl is tucked against her chest, Tinkerbell brushes the side of her cheek softly, grinning at the beautiful blue orbs gazing at her.

"Thanks to her, I've gotten a promotion."

"A promotion?"

The fairy raises glistening eyes at the couple. "Yes. I am now a fairy godmother." Before any of them replies, she clarifies. " _Dawn's_ fairy godmother."

Regina tilts her head to the side. "You... What does this mean exactly?"

Tinkerbell clears her throat. "It means that I'll watch over her her entire life, with the sole purpose to make sure that she's happy and safe. Whenever she needs help or feels in distress, I can bring her hope and support. I am also allowed to use my powers to protect her if she were to find herself in any danger. Somehow, Dawn has now become the most important person for me."

Regina and Robin exchange a warm glance, and the brunette wraps an arm around Tinkerbell's shoulder. "Well then, our daughter is a very lucky girl."

xxx

Three days later

After Dawn's birth, Regina and Robin spent the following days locked inside. The need for privacy, the exhaustion caused by lack of sleep, made them retreat to their tent. They spent their time admiring their baby, cuddling her and Matthew, and enjoying every second as a family.

Of course, their friends came to see them. Leanne bid them goodbye as she returned to her village after giving Regina her last recommendations, and there was no way Little John could keep Connor away from Regina for so long.

But after everything they went through to get to this moment, Regina and Robin yearned for some alone time for them and their little family, but more than anything, they longed to feel  _safe_.

Besides, with Dawn waking up every other hour to be fed or changed, neither one of them, especially Regina, were able to rest much. Something more than common for parents of a newborn.

During the day, Matthew goes to school, then does his homework with Zelena's help, much to the woman's joy. Those precious moments with her nephew are part of a routine she appreciates a lot, as being an aunt is a role she fell in love with since the first day she met Matthew. When the boy is done, he joins his parents and baby sister to share precious family time together.

It's pure bliss, Robin thinks as he watches his wife and daughter sleep, snuggled against each other. If all the ordeals they faced were meant to lead to this moment, it was definitely worth it. His heart threatening to explode from the amount of love it holds within. Whenever he lays eyes on his baby, he finds himself mesmerized, fascinated by the little girl, by the way her blue eyes stare at him and her mother with an endless curiosity, how her forehead sometimes wrinkles as if a million questions were floating in her mind. She is truly the most beautiful thing Robin has ever seen. To him, Dawn is a real treasure, and an absolute delight to take care of.

He presses a soft kiss to his wife's temple and his baby's forehead, unwilling to wake them. He carefully gets up, organizing pillows and blankets so Dawn doesn't fall from her parents' large bed.

It's midafternoon, and today the need to get out and breathe in some fresh air is stronger than in the previous days.

He strolls around the camp, greeting his friends and chatting a while, about his daughter mostly, in between lessons and exercises, until duty calls and Robin walks away with the promise of catching up later.

"Hey, Robin!" The kind voice of Vanda draws his attention, making him change direction and head her way.

"Hello! What are you doing here? Isn't it supposed to be school time?"

"It is, but we decided to release them earlier today. The kids are doing great, Zelena and I rewarded them by finishing classes early."

Robin is pleased by the news and the knowledge that their small school is successfully helping children (and now even some adults from the camp) get the basics of education and, for those inclined to study longer, something more. This might help many of them to have a better life than what they would have had.

"Matthew left to practice archery," she informs with a knowing smile.

"Oh!" Robin instinctively turns his head, but the training area is on the other side, blocked from his view. "I'm going to join him then, see if he would like to spend some time with his father."

Vanda tilts her head to the side. "You and Regina have done a wonderful job with him. He has made so much progress with his schoolwork, and he's so much happier now. Did you know that he's actually helping some students learn how to read?"

Robin steps forward, interested, brow shooting up in surprise and, he has to admit, full of pride. "He is?" He genuinely ignored this, and thinking about it that's probably his fault, as he never really took time to speak with Vanda about his son's studies.

"Yes," The brunette confirms warmly. "He's even quite good at teaching. And now that Zelena takes care of half the students, I can focus on thosewho are struggling."

"She loves this job, we've discussed it a few times already."

Vanda laughs softly. "It shows, the kids love her. And if Matthew keeps up his progress, I might end up asking him to help a small group who are having the same difficulties as he did."

Robin's smile widens. "That's great!" Guessing what she's about to ask him, Robin resumes immediately. "You have my word that I won't tell anyone until you decide to make it official." She nods, and he adds. "Thank you, for informing me."

"You're very welcome."

"And Vanda?" Robin calls before she turns away. "I want you to know how grateful I am for what you did for Regina when I was missing. I never got to tell you how much it meant to me."

The short-haired brunette shakes her head, her wavy hair moving against her temples when she chuckles. "Regina and Zelena already thanked me a thousand times. Those two really share an incredible bond."

"They do. Knowing that Zelena was around Regina while she was pregnant and I was at Nottingham all day eased my fears a lot."

"Rest assured when you go back. We'll be here. Regina isn't the first woman to give birth in this camp. We'll help her whenever she needs us."

Robin bobs his head a little. "Thank you, Vanda."

As the practice field slowly comes into view, Robin catches sight of Dean and Arthur instructing the archery class. Regina's class, the one she delegated to her former student for a few months, until she was able to teach with Arthur again. He remembers when she was learning, when  _he_ was  _her_  teacher. How many incredible moments they spent there. How many fights too. But in the end, she turned out to be better than the Merry Men, becoming the only one able to compete with him.

Robin is deep in thought, smiling absentmindedly when the sight of a figure he knows too well catches his attention.

He walks to his son as Matthew comes back from the target with the arrows in hand. The boy's face lights up instantly when he notices his presence.

" _Dad!"_

Matthew runs to him, wraps his arms around his father's waist, hugging him close. Robin brings a hand to the boy's neck and back, rubbing softly.

"Hey you! I was told that you decided to practice."

"I did!" Matthew exclaims proudly. "I know mom can't give me lessons for now, but I miss training."

"You had a wonderful idea, if you want my opinion. Do you prefer to practice on your own, or would you like some help from your father?"

Matthew's eyes light up immediately, his smile growing brighter. "You want to give me an archery lesson?"

Robin chuckles at his enthusiasm, rakes a hand through the boy's hair. "Only if you're up for it. Your mother and I spend a lot of time with your sister, it's only fair that we take care of you too."

"Yeah," Matthew shrugs, his smile never fading. "I get it. She's a baby."

Robin cups the boy's chin, "But you're our son. I don't want you to feel left out."

"I don't, dad! I know you love me just like you love Dawn. And aunt Zelena is great. I love spending time with her."

Robin is overwhelmed with pride at his son's words. When they took him in, none of them would have thought that Matthew would ever feel this way. But seeing how he accepts his sister, interacting with her as if she was the most important person in his life, giving her all his love and attention, Robin realizes how wise the boyhas become. His immediate acceptance of his baby sister, without an ounce of jealousy, proves how much Matthew's self-esteem has increased over the last few months, and that he knows he and Regina will remain his parents even with the newest addition to their family.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you so grown-up. By the way, Vanda told me that you're doing really good in school. You made so much progress, Matthew, do you have any idea how proud of you I am?"

"I- A little." Matthew blushes, his smile turning into a timid one. "But it's thanks to you and mom, because of everything you've done for me."

Robin leads his son towards the targets, an arm around his shoulders, before pulling back.

"Alright, then show me what your mother taught you! Last time she talked to me about it, she said it was almost perfect."

The nervousness of his son is clear, because he has never really practiced in front of his father, but Robin puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, tells him to relax, it's a regular lesson, just as if he was with his mother. No pressure.

So Matthew does that, he applies the rule.

No pressure.

_Believe in yourself._

Something his mother keeps telling him. He can do this, he just has to believe it.

So he breathes in.

And out.

In.

Out.

And shoots.

It takes him a second to realize, and it's his father's hands on his shoulder that shakes him out of his stupor.

"Is it me, or did you just execute a perfect shot?"

Matthew blinks a couple of times, stares at the target, his eyes opening wide incredulously, his body slouching forward slightly and frowning as if it would help him see better.

"Is it-?"

"Yes, Matthew," Robin agrees with a chuckle. "I can definitely tell you that you hit the center of the target. And from what I saw, your position was perfect too."

Matthew looks back and forth between his father and the target, smiling, mouth open in awe.

"Wow! Too bad mom missed it."

"Who said I missed it?"

Father and son turn around in one swift movement, the sight of Regina standing a few feet behind them hitting them hard. She wears the tired features of a new mother mixed with the profound joy and love she carries in her heart.

It's with a smile from ear to ear that she joins her boys, one of her hands coming up to cup Matthew's head, the other holding a bunch of clothes close to her chest.

"This was perfect, Matthew. I'm proud of you."

There's only genuine happiness and satisfaction in Matthew's beaming face when he thanks her.

"I thought you were sleeping," Robin addresses his wife.

"I was. But Dawn woke me up not long after you left the tent, and I figured it was time for our little princess to finally see the world."

Matthew peaks over his mother's arm, removes the covers just enough to press a kiss to his sister's temple.

"Hello, baby sis'," he whispers above her, grinning and brushing her chin with the back of his finger.

"Princess?" Robin questions, faking a shocked face. "My daughter isn't a princess! She's a thief!"

Regina chuckles, adjusts the baby in her arms. "Well, if you prefer, she's the princess of thieves. Since you are the leader of the Merry Men…"

"Oh!" Robin realizes, then smirks. "I can work with that."

"But you're not supposed to be thieves anymore, right?" Matthew asks. "Now, you're Sheriff, and mom trains people to become guards!"

"But deep down, Matthew, some things never change," Robin declares warmly. "In our heart, the Merry Men will always be thieves before anything else. Even if life has forced us to change our ways, we will never forget who we really are. Thieves who took from the rich, to give to the poor."

xxx

One week later

Zelena puts a hand on Robin's shoulder to catch his attention, which has him looking up from Matthew's writing with a questioning look.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but Alan just informed me that he made special plans for us tonight. Can you take care of Dawn, or should I tell him to reschedule?" She tilts her chin towards her chest, where Dawn wriggles in the baby sling, her tiny body hidden by the fabric.

"Oh no, of course! Give me my daughter and go enjoy your evening!"

"Are you sure?" Zelena asks again. "Because I was supposed to watch over her to give you and Regina some time alone with Matthew and Connor. I don't want to-"

Robin cuts her off. " _Go_ , Zelena! Intimate moments like this are a rare and precious thing. I can handle my two kids."

"Alright." Zelena hands him his daughter. "Thank you!" She ruffles Matthew's hair affectionately, cups his chin softly, before tickling the newborn's belly. "Have a good evening! And be good to your dad, you two!"

"Bye, aunt Zelena!"

Matthew bends over his sister immediately, and runs a tender hand over her stomach, tickling her chin and laughing when Dawn grabs his finger. He's so focused on her that he doesn't even notice his father intensely looking at him, until Robin clears his throat.

Matthew startles, meets his father's amused gaze, glances at Dawn who has released his finger, and then back at his father.

"Homework first," Robin decides. "Then you can have some time with your sister."

Matthew sighs, but complies, grabs his quill and turns his attention back to his book. Robin lets Dawn play with his finger while he dutifully checks his son's work. Despite the tiredness of a full day spent working, he wouldn't trade moments like these for anything.

xxx

A few hours later

"She sleeping?"

Matthew smiles at Connor, crouches enough so the toddler can have a look at the baby in his arm.

"Yes. I'm going to put her to bed."

"Can I come?"

Matthew waits for his mother's approval, and Regina nods, adding that she's coming to supervise, gets up from her seat, the children following suit.

Robin watches them leave with a content sigh.

"The boys are completely smitten with her."

"We all are," Little John admits, his friend looking back at him. "Your daughter is adorable."

"She is. But I would love to have a full night of uninterrupted sleep."

"I told you, you didn't have to come back to work so early. Dealing with criminals and complaints all day when you've barely slept a couple of hours is alright once, but not regularly."

"I've been absent for several days already."

Little John rolls his eyes. "You have a newborn baby."

"You and Colin have kids too," Robin points out.

"I said a  _newborn_ , Robin. Our kids are older and are taken care of. You should enjoy your family for a bit longer. You deserve this! Plus, the new recruits are very efficient, they are even able to spend a day without any of us supervising."

The blonde man absentmindedly plays with an asperity of the wood. He wants to accept John's offer, more than anything. The few days off he took when Dawn was born were a blessing and allowed him to spend time with his family, something he misses terribly since he went back to work.

However,  _he_  is the sheriff. He's responsible for what happens at the sheriff's office, has to be informed about every arrest and intervention. He makes the schedules, fills most of the paperwork. His men handled everything while he was off and nothing went wrong, he trusts Little John to be extremely thorough, but it was only a few days. Isn't it too much to stay away for another whole week? Even if he wouldn't take that into consideration, as much as he misses and loves his family, he adores his job. Being able to protect people, to be paid for it, to see the gratefulness in the eyes of a woman who was being robbed and whose attackers are arrested by his team, is so rewarding. It reminds him of old times, when they were bringing bags of food and some money to families in need. Except that he's no outlaw anymore. Now  _he_  represents the law. He makes justice for the good and the underdog. Added to his family life, that's what makes him happy and satisfied.

"Maybe half the week? And then for the next weeks I'll take a day off if I feel too tired?" He offers when he looks up. "That way I get to rest and spend time with Regina and the kids, but I won't have to catch up on too many things."

Little John shakes his head, but lifts his glass of ale and clinks it with Robin's.

"Works for me. Deal!"

" _Hello_!"

Zelena's cheerful voice interrupts them, John almost choking on his beverage as he's startled. A hand slapping him on his back a couple of times until his cough subsides.

Alan sits down on the bench next to him.

"What's happening here?" The young man asks.

Little John recovers from his cough fit, wipes the corner of his mouth and declares proudly. "I just convinced Robin to take a few more days off to enjoy his family."

Alan lifts an eyebrow. "Nicely played! This man is addicted to work."

"I'm sure Regina and Matthew will be happy to hear that," Zelena adds when she sits next to Alan. "Speaking of my sister, where is she?"

Robin tilts his chin towards his tent. "She's helping Matthew and Connor put Dawn to bed. She should be back any minute. How was your evening?"

An unexpected silence answers him, a look being exchanged between the couple, making the two friends frown.

"Oh, I know  _that_  look!" Little John says staring at Alan. "Alan, what did you do?"

"Can we wait until Regina is here?" Zelena asks.

"I'm here."

The joyful voice of her sister comes from behind her, the brunette taking place next to her sister, settling Connor on her lap while Matthew runs to his aunt, hugging her tight.

"Dawn's sound asleep. We may have a couple of hours before she wakes up,  _if_  we're lucky," Regina announces happily. Facing the silence of the group, she glances between them, frowning, then remembering her sister's words before she joined them. "Why did you want to wait for me?" she asks suspiciously.

"Apparently Alan did something, but they refused to tell us what until you were here," Robin mischievously stares at his sister-in-law and friend, as if trying to find out whatever secret they're hiding.

"Oh!" Regina pushes Connor's messy hair from his forehead softly, presses her cheek against his temple and rocks him a bit when he leans against her chest, seeking some cuddles. "I'm curious now! What is it?"

The couple locks eyes, smiling slightly, then grinning. They face the group, and Zelena inhales deeply, closing then opening her shining eyes.

"Alan asked me to marry him, and I said yes!"

xxx

Two weeks later

" _He's here_! Open the door!"

It's an impatient and cheerful crowd of men and women that welcomes Tuck back at the Merry Men's camp, after many months away.

Regina can barely hold back her joy, but she stays behind, waits for her friend to have hugged everyone. She exchanges a look with Robin, who's by her side, and together they glance down at the child resting against her chest. Dawn is peacefully laying in Regina's arms, bright blue eyes scanning everything around her, maybe perplexed, probably curious. She's absolutely charming in the white dress Snow White, David and Ruth offered her last week. The Queen and Prince unfortunately could only spend one night at the camp as they had many meetings to attend. However, they promised to come back for Zelena and Alan's wedding, which has been planned for the following week so Tuck could officiate the ceremony.

Regina looks up when she hears the warm and familiar voice she missed so much coming closer.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The corner of her lips tips up, and Regina revels in the endearment enveloping her as her friend lays an affectionate gaze on her. She adjusts Dawn in her arms so Tuck can get a good look at her.

"A perfectly healthy almost one month-old little girl."

She hands Dawn to her friend when he opens his arms for her. Tuck holds the child close and rocks her expertly, his thumb brushing her forehead. Dawn makes a soft sound, her eyes staring at him for a moment before her fist points to the sky.

"Hello, beautiful. Did you parents ever tell you that you are an absolute delight?"

"Only fifty times a day," Robin replies innocently. "At least!"

The three adults share a small laugh, one that turns into a melting grin when Dawn gives them her most beautiful smile. For a moment, they observe her as she stretches and sighs, meeting their eyes and making different faces, smiling or yawning, her cuteness stealing their hearts and plastering big smiles on their faces.

"She has already taken to you," Regina says while Dawn plays with Tuck's finger, bending a little to have a good view of her baby girl.

"And what is this wonder's name?" Tuck questions.

" _Dawn_. She's… the beginning of a new adventure, a new life. She's  _our_ new start," Robin explains quietly, not looking up from his daughter.

Tuck understands and agrees with his friends' choice, satisfied to see them move forward with their lives. "That's a beautiful name."

He adjusts Dawn against his chest, and opens his free arm, an invitation for his friends.

Regina doesn't wait. She enters this cocoon of warmth and care she missed so much, her nose burying in Tuck's neck and breathing him in. It feels so good. This man is so important to her, and now he's  _finally_  back, after so long.

"I missed you," she breathes when she pulls back.

"I missed you too," Tuck says, cupping her chin gently before embracing Robin. "But I'm back now. And I have so much to do! Where is the happy couple?"

Regina gathers her daughter while Robin calls for Alan and Zelena.

"Come with me, you two!" Tuck announces with authority, wrapping an arm around the two fiancés' shoulders and leading them away. "Let me drop my bags in my tent and then we have to discuss wedding arrangements."

xxx

A week later

"She's  _so_  cute!" Snow squeals, excited, marveling at Dawn as the baby stares curiously at the small stuffed wolf the Queen is holding above her.

"Someone is definitely fond of babies," David mocks gently, nudging his mother's shoulder playfully.

"David, you can't deny that Dawn is the most beautiful baby you've ever seen!" Snow White counteracts, pretending to be shocked by his words.

The young woman's enthusiasm brings a smile to Ruth's lips, who's rocking Dawn, trying to keep her calm during the ceremony.

"Technically, she's the first baby I see who isn't a sheep or a horse, so I have no other option but to say yes."

" _Shhh_!" Ruth orders. "Stay quiet, it's about to start."

Alan stands in front of Tuck, with Robin, his best man, just next to him.

The music begins, the last murmurs dying down as they all turn to look behind them.

Matthew, all cleaned up, slowly and proudly advances towards the aisle, holding a small flat cushion on top of which rest the rings. He holds his breath, anxious, but unable to refrain from smiling. He stops next to his father, Robin smiling reassuringly and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, keeping him close.

And then, the women arrive. Vanda comes first, as Zelena's maid of honor, dressed in a simple but elegant green dress. She's followed by Regina who's granted with the honor of giving her sister's hand to Alan. Considering how Zelena's father has no place in her life anymore, and that Regina is the most important person for her, the decision to ask her to walk her down the aisle had been easy.

The young mother proudly walks towards her friends and husband with Zelena gripping her arm tightly, her sister's hand trembling. Regina remembers how she had felt the same nervous yet excited feeling before her own wedding, so she squeezes discreetly, attempting to reassure her.

Regina looks ahead, catches sight of her husband and son, of Tuck, ready for the ceremony, and more importantly, of the soon-to-be husband. Alan's eyes have lit up since Zelena made her appearance, and while Regina is well aware that he is totally crazy about her sister, she also can't deny that Zelena looks absolutely gorgeous today.

Her sister is wearing a white dress clinging to her body until mid-hip, then widening gradually to the hem, accentuating her form. The neckline follows the curve of the collarbone to the very tip of her shoulders, and long sleeves made of lace cover her arms. Her hair is loose and curly over her shoulders, its bright color contrasting with and illuminating the shining white of her dress. This is a much more refined dress than the one Regina wore, a gift from the Queen, and it fits Zelena perfectly.

The bride is stunning, and today is a beautiful day.

Looking around, Regina smiles. She catches sight of many of her friends, of Little John and Connor, of Snow, David and Ruth holding Dawn in her arms. She winks at Tinkerbell, who was granted with the permission to attend the wedding. She takes in the sight of the breathtaking clearing the couple has chosen for the ceremony, of this forest where she spent the most important years of her life, the same forest that was so threatening at first, but brought her everything she didn't know she needed. She locks eyes with her son, her wonderful boy who's growing up so fast. And then she meets Robin's eyes, shining and staring at her with so much love she sometimes thinks it can't be real. But it  _is_. And when she gives her sister's hand to Alan, entrusting him with Zelena's life and happiness, her only wish is for them to be blessed with a wonderful and happy life.

xxx

An hour later

"I'd say Dawn is one of the centers of attention today."

Regina laughs softly, leans against Robin's chest when he wraps his arms around her waist, both grinning widely at the scene before them.

Snow is carefully holding Dawn, cuddling and rocking her gently, whispering soft words to her. Since the moment she met her, the young Queen has shown a profound interest and tenderness for the little girl, raving about her beauty, her cuteness, not missing one opportunity to have her in her arms. And she hasn't been the only one. Ruth already admitted how much she misses times when David was so small she could carry him with one arm.

As for Tinkerbell, she's spent as much time as possible with her goddaughter since she was born, sometimes sneaking in for a few minutes while she's supposed to be somewhere else, just for the pleasure to see the child's incredible blue eyes and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Go dance, you two!" Tinkerbell waves her hand in their direction, urging the parents to go and have some fun together. "She's safe with us."

It's with a light heart and a deep laugh that Robin drags his wife towards the dancers. How long has it been since the last time they enjoyed themselves so much? It feels like forever.

They follow the fast rhythm of the music, disappearing in the crowd, exchanging partners several times, until the music slows down, wives going back to their husbands.

Regina wraps her arms around Robin's neck, taking in the atmosphere around her, and lets out a content sigh.

"What is it, my love? You seem thoughtful."

She glances up and smiles widely at her husband, giving his neck a little squeeze.

"I'm just taking a moment to realize how great my life has turned out." She pauses, presses herself closer against him, not breaking eye-contact. "Years ago, when I lost Daniel, I never imagined that I could ever be happy, that I would be able to  _love_ someone  _again_. I believed Daniel was my one and only true love, and that my future was bound to consist of loneliness and sadness. But thanks to you, I grew up, and  _my heart_ is now  _the most resilient_ it's ever been. Seeing where I am, here,  _right now_ , surrounded by our friends, our family, our  _children_ , people I met thanks to  _you_ ," she nuzzles his nose tenderly. "I know that I was born to find you, Robin. You helped me overcome my past, you offered me an incredible happy life many would dream of. And I have absolutely no doubt about the fact that  _you_ , Robin of Locksley,  _you are my future_."


	37. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : *Take a deep breath*
> 
> Okay... There it is. Journey to freedom ends today with this epilogue.
> 
> I want to thank every single one of you who supported and reviewed this story, who fell in love with the storyline and most of all the characters, who cried and laughed with them, and who supported me, even though I put my characters (and you as well) through hell more than once.
> 
> Thank you to my dear betas for their amazing work!
> 
> WIRM and Chase are now back on the foreground, **but** I don't forget the prompts for JtF that some of you already sent me. Keep sending them. My PM, twitter, WA... will stay open as long as you want me to write for this fic I spent more than 3 years with.
> 
> Trust me, I don't want this story to end... But I have to let you discover my version of OQ happy ending.

Five years later

"Mommy, I want Matthew!"

Regina looks down at her impatient little girl, adjusts her almost one year-old twin boy in her arms before crouching in front of her daughter. Trying to catch up to Zelena and Alan, who carries her other one year-old, she gently says,

"Dawn, let your brother finish work, his class is almost over."

The toddler pouts, crosses her arms over her chest as she sighs.

"Matthew p'omise he eat with us!"

Regina tucks a strand of her daughter's blond hair behind her ear tenderly, biting back a smile as she hears her friends' chuckles next to her. Dawn has indeed inherited her mother's stubbornness, even  _she_  can't deny it. "And he will, sweetheart," she insists. " Just give him a minute."

A thunder of joyous screams startles Regina. Immediately, she grabs Dawn's hand and follows Zelena, Alan and Vanda a bit further just as a group of children scatters into the village, boys and girls happily going back to their homes and families.

Dawn spies Matthew before Regina has a chance to, and the little girl tugs on her mother's hand firmly, eager to join her brother. Catching sight of her son, Regina releases Dawn's hand, and watches as her vibrant girl runs and jumps into Matthew's arms, her heart swelling with love and affection at the sight of her two children.

"My mischievous little thief!" The young man exclaims when he picks Dawn up off the ground, lifting her above his head. Dawn's laugh is deep-throated and clear, mixed with her brother's. When she reaches Matthew, the girl's arms wrap tightly around his neck, looking at him with a wide toothy grin. "What trouble did you get into today?"

"None! I am a  _good_ girl!" She replies proudly, grinning at her brother.

"Will mom confirm that if I ask her?"

Matthew exchanges a smirk with his mother, and chuckles as his sister sheepishly giggles, confirming his suspicions.

Dawn has been a little troublemaker since the day she started walking. Always a curious little girl, sneaking around, and often putting herself in dangerous situations. And that's without counting her magic, something they expected, which was confirmed after her first birthday when they found her favorite toy floating above her crib. Of course, that often led to hilarious, but also troubling moments, making her parents fear the potential consequences her magic could bring, given the previous experience the family has had.

 _But,_ she's also the sweetest child Matthew knows, with a deep and strong attachment to her family. Their synergy has often allowed Matthew to get through to her more easily than anyone else, and he knows how much his recent decisions have affected her.

"Hello, mom!"

"Hello, Matthew!" Regina steps forward and hugs her older son tightly, her fingers tangling in Dawn's locks delicately. "I missed you." She glances at her three young children when she pulls back, Dawn, Ethan and his twin, Lena who's gripping Alan's neck tightly while he adjusts her in his arms. " _We_ missed you."

Matthew puts Dawn on the ground and hugs his aunt, Alan and Vanda, before pressing a kiss to the children's foreheads. Then he turns towards his twin siblings. Lena, an adorable little brunette and her brother Ethan, a dynamic young blonde boy, a duo that Matthew isn't able to see grow up daily ever since he left the camp.

"I missed you too." He cups Lena's chin tenderly as she leans her head against Alan's cheek, then takes his brother from his mother's arms, nuzzling his nose, which results in a joyous laugh from the child. "How's my baby brother? Jonas told me he was sick last week."

A year after Alan and Zelena's wedding, they decided to adopt Jonas the way Regina and Robin did with Matthew. The boy's archery lessons with Alan and classes with Zelena had already allowed them to develop a strong relationship, only making their decision easier.

Two years later, Zelena gave birth to Nathan, a wonderful little boy Jonas is completely crazy about. Ever since, the family has been living happily at the camp.

Regina weaves a soft hand on the baby's head. "He was feverish for several days, but it subsided recently. Tuck said it wasn't anything serious. Ethan has been an absolute delight since."

The little boy puts his thumb in his mouth and leans his head against Matthew's shoulder, who cuddles him softly.

A new wave of happy children exit the cabin, followed by Jenna and Jonas who approach the group.

Vanda walks to her daughter and takes her in her arms, while Jonas joins Zelena, bending to lift his younger brother, Nathan, from the ground.

"Hello, little man!"

"You have more students than I imagined," Vanda comments once the greetings are over.

"Indeed," Jenna agrees, keeping Tommy against her side and brushing his hair tenderly. "The school works very well."

"So I see."

It was a bet, really, to allow the three friends to start their very ambitious project: Open a school in Rotterhamer to allow children from everywhere to learn spelling, writing and math. To spread knowledge to anyone willing to learn, no matter where they come from, who they are, nor whether they have money or not.

Their parents were worried at first, especially considering that the funding only came from Matthew's, Jenna's and Jonas' little savings. They firmly refused any income from their parents or Snow White and David, insisting that they wanted to succeed, and they wanted to do it on their own.

At first, it was complicated, people were wary towards this  _unusual_  initiative. But with time, as the villagers got to know the three young founders and  _trust_  them, the project really took off. Matthew's incredible teaching skills, Jonas' humor, and Jenna's kindness quickly led to dozens of parents coming from everywhere to enroll their children, and sometimes even themselves. After a few months, Jenna opened a special class for adults in the afternoons, while Matthew and Jonas taught kids.

Now, a year later, the number of students has grown exponentially, forcing them to expand the school and add more classes, entitled as they are not to refuse anyone.

Something else caused a radical change in everyone's lives: Matthew's marriage to Jenna. After knowing each other for years as kids, while they were planning and executing the project for their school, they grew closer, and their friendship slowly evolved into something more romantic. They dated for several months before the now nineteen year-old man dared ask for her hand.

The celebration occurred two months ago, and soon after, to everyone's dismay, but acceptance, the couple left the Merry Men's camp and moved into a small house by the border of Rotterhamer. It broke Regina's and Robin's hearts to see their son leave his nest, but they could only understand the newlyweds' need for intimacy and independence.

Dawn didn't handle things so well. While Ethan and Lena are too young to notice their brother's absence, Dawn isn't. Since day one, Dawn and Matthew have shared an exceptional bond, beyond anything Regina could have ever imagined. And, up until Matthew left, they were inseparable. Not seeing her brother every day is still difficult for Dawn, but Regina has managed to tamper the girl's tantrums with the promise of regular visits to Rotterhamer whenever her brother doesn't come to the camp.

But today, Matthew, Jenna and Jonas invited their families for dinner.

"You're doing well!" Regina compliments. "I've heard people mention your school different times and they all speak highly of it, and of you."

"We do our best, R'gina," Jonas replies proudly. "People seem satisfied."

The moment is interrupted by Dawn's high pitched " _Daddy!"_ when she catches sight of her father. Escaping Zelena's grip she runs away in his direction, earning a loud scolding of her name from her mother.

Robin walks briskly to his daughter, catching her quickly and moving her out of the way of the horse going right towards her.

"Hey there, young lady! Be careful!"

"We wait for you!" Dawn pouts, wonderfully ignoring his scolding, scrunching her nose in an adorable way that reminds him of Regina way too much.

"I'm sorry, my treasure. Daddy was busy catching bad guys."

"I told you he'd come, sweetie," Regina tells her daughter authoritatively. "No need to run off like you did and put yourself in danger."

"But daddy save me, mommy!" Dawn replies with her usual recklessness that has Regina rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"I'd rather not have to, Dawn," Robin says softly, a hand covering his wife's shoulder as a silent indication that he's handling this. "I would feel much more reassured if you listened to your mother when she tells you to be careful."

The toddler frowns the way she often does when her parents disagree with her, looking down, suddenly silent.

Robin places Dawn on the floor, but keeps a good hold on her hand, kisses his wife's cheek, greets the group with quick but warm hugs, until he faces his two sons, taking them in his arms, sighing deeply when he pulls back to look at Matthew up and down.

"Damn, I feel like it was yesterday that we took you in. Where did the time go?"

His son chuckles, adjusts his brother in his arms. "I grew up. You have three other little thieves to take care of now." He tilts his chin towards his siblings.

"I do, but I miss my big boy." Shaking his head, Robin looks around at his friends. "Shall we?"

The group goes into the best tavern in the village. Dawn and Tommy already engrossed in a game of their own, while Nathan, Lena and Ethan focus on the images of a book Jonas opened in front of them. Meanwhile, the adults discuss the camp's life, the sheriff's work, the school, and the newlyweds' adjustments.

"It was strange at first," Jenna admits. "Going from the animated life at the camp to the quietness of a house with only the two of us was quite a change."

Matthew wraps an arm around his wife's shoulders, bringing her against him. "But we adjusted quite well I believe. And the school brings us our fair share of excitement."

"That's for sure," Jenna laughs softly, lovingly looking at him. "We have a good life." She turns towards her family as the waitress deposits their plates in front of them. "Speaking of that, the reason we asked you to come here tonight, is because we have something important to tell you."

"Oh!" Colin exclaims, falsely disappointed. "And here I thought you missed us and wanted to see your family!"

Jenna chuckles. "You know I do, dad. But it wasn't only for that."

The soft, but mysterious smile of the young woman catches the attention of the parents, everyone falling silent, aside from the children.

Matthew links his fingers with Jenna's, the two exchanging a warm glance, before facing the group.

He meets each and every one's eyes, his parents, his aunt and uncle, and parents-in-law, and takes a deep breath. "We're having a baby."

xxx

Three years later

Regina pulls back and tenderly cups Snow White's chin, the Queen staring back at her with brimming eyes and a quivering lip.

"I'm so sorry." She watches Robin pull away from David and sadly smiles at the young man. "How did this happen?"

"A snake's bite," David explains lowly, sighing deeply. "She went to visit Granny and Ruby at the farm, and while she was talking with Ruby about the current situation, Ruby stepped on a snake and my mother instinctively moved between them, receiving the bite. According to Ruby it was an Eastern Diamondback. By the time they got back to the farm and fetched a healer, it was too late."

"We didn't even get to say goodbye," Snow White sighs. "And we had just told her the news. She had so many plans. It won't be the same without her."

Regina squeezes Snow's arm, trying to comfort her, knowing very well it won't be very effective, but she can't do much more. Ruth's death is a tragedy affecting everyone, but the woman was so important to the young Queen and King that Regina knows nothing will soothe their pain.

"Luckily, she had already discussed many of her ideas with Johanna," Snow resumes, their eyes moving to her caretaker a bit further, holding herself up in the middle of the crowd, but unable to hide her sorrow. Throughout the years, the woman had become a close friend to Ruth. "So, we'll be able to use them. But..."

Snow sighs and meets David's eyes, the King wrapping his arms around her shoulders and inviting her to lean against him while he finishes her sentence.

"She won't be there. She won't see us get married."

Robin cups David's neck. "Indeed she won't. But I know for certain that the news of your engagement and the wedding plans filled her with the greatest joy and pride. She wouldn't want you to dwell on her death, especially not while preparing such an important day." He kindly squeezes his shoulder. "Today, you can mourn her, allow the weight of her loss to win for a few hours. But then, I want you to promise me that you will remember how much she loved you and how proud of you she was. You'll plan your wedding with the lightness of heart you'd have had, as if she were still with us. And when you're face to face, about to tie your life to each other forever, you will do so knowing that she's watching over you, enjoying this important moment of your lives. Because I knew Ruth well enough to assure you that's what she'd want." He looks at the two in their eyes. "Promise me."

David nods first, then Snow mirrors him, but the brunette adds, gazing deeply in Robin's blue eyes. "Alright, but can you promise me something first, Robin?"

"Anything."

"When I get married... Can you walk me down the aisle?"

Robin grabs the Queen's hands tightly, smiling warmly. "It'll be my greatest honor."

Snow White jumps in his arms, hugging him, the sadness of the day vanishing for a moment as she breathes a  _thank you_  in his ear, promising that she will plan her wedding to be the happiest day of her life.

The lightness that fills them fades a moment later, when Snow pulls back and notices someone among the crowd. Her smile dies then, her frown grows, and she tilts her head to the side.

"There's something else you don't know," she says as she lets out a deep sigh, and announces solemnly. "Since Ruth's death, Ruby's been a mess. Granny said she blames herself for not sensing the danger."

"What do you mean? How could she have sensed it?" Regina questions, her hand rubbing the Queen's arm.

"Thanks to her abilities, and to Akela." In front of Robin and Regina's confusion, the Queen explains. "She said it's the huntsman's wolf's name. He helps Ruby use her powers and control her transformation. Thanks to him she begins to at least be partially aware of her wolf state. If she can have full control she won't be a danger to anyone."

"Right," Regina remembers. "He resurfaced when she began turning into a werewolf last year."

"Indeed." The rough voice belongs to someone they all know, and it's with a compassionate smile that Regina walks towards Granny, wrapping her arms around the old woman's shoulders. "He gives us a great help," Granny declares after a moment. "The red hood I had found allowed us to prevent the transformations for a while, but since Akela is here Ruby has completely changed. She's beginning to accept who she is now, and I have to admit, so do I."

"I'm glad, Granny," Regina says as she rubs the woman's back and widens her smile a little. "I never understood the reason why he stuck around since the huntsman died, but what's even more incredible is the number of people he helped."

"I hope he can help Ruby overcome her guilt."

"Is she going to attend the ceremony?" Robin questions.

Ruth's funeral is about to start, and since Snow White and David requested a private ceremony, only people from the castle, and close friends will be in attendance. The Merry Men are topping the list, and many of them came to pay their respects and bid their goodbyes to the incredible and generous woman Ruth was.

"Yes. She was getting ready when I left her. She should be here any minute," Granny exhales shakily.

"She's already here," David declares, tilting his chin towards the crowd, pointing at Ruby, who just entered the hall.. The sweet child Regina met years ago in the Forest is now a beautiful young woman, with large brown eyes and wavy dark hair falling over her shoulders.

The hugs are warm and sincere, all of them full of sadness.

When the bells announcing the beginning of the funeral are heard, Robin suggests. "We should go sit."

The Queen and King head for their thrones, while Robin, Regina, Granny and Ruby join the others, sitting on the front row.

The ceremony is short, but composed of many people sharing their memories of Ruth, including Regina and Robin. And once everyone has paid their respects, the men carry the coffin to the crypt, where Ruth's body will rest safely next to Snow White's parents. This arrangement was made to honor the role she played in the young woman's life, and because she was the King's loving and dedicated mother.

"You gave a beautiful speech, Regina," Ruby admits with a small smile.

"Thank you. She meant a lot to me." Regina sighs, looking around, at all the faces wearing traces of grief. "To so many of us. I regret that life kept us apart lately."

"She understood," David says. "She missed you, but she knew as well as you did that we couldn't see each other as frequently as we used to. How are the kids, by the way?"

"They are doing great!" A broad smile breaks Regina's face, one that illuminates Robin's when she glances up at him. "Dawn wants you to know that she plans to become Sheriff," The news brings a welcome laugh in the group, the image of the energetic little blonde girl hovering above them. "Connor is just as gifted as Little John is at fighting and is adjusting slowly to his family's new situation. Ethan can't wait to go to school, while all Lena wants to do is spend her time in the forest. As for Matthew and Jenna, the school is still running smoothly, and they savor their lives as parents, Lily is a pure delight."

"I still can't believe the kid is a father and runs a successful school!" Granny exclaims. "It feels like only yesterday he was a shy boy who still hesitated to call you mom and dad."

Regina shrugs and scrunches her nose. "I know. Sometimes, I miss those days. But he's such a good man, and such an exceptional father and husband. Robin and I are very proud of him."

"He taught me a lot when I was taking his class," Ruby claims. "He is a gifted teacher."

"He does," Regina agrees with a smile.

The conversation dies down, silence in its place, and Ruby stares down at her feet, fidgeting with her fingers, breathing in deeply before announcing. "I have some news too."

David frowns and steps forward. Her sudden shift in tone can't be good. "What is it?"

"I-" The young girl meets everyone's eyes, and stares at Granny when she reveals, "I'm leaving."

"What do you mean ' _I'm leaving_ '?" Snow White's tone is tainted with fear, and she approaches Ruby, frowning and confused.

Ruby addresses her with a small and shy smile. "I mean that I will leave with Akela... Today."

It's Granny's turn to step forward. " _Today_? Ruby, what is this nonsense?"

Sensing the girl's anxiety and hesitation, Robin moves a hand to Ruby's shoulder in comfort, lifting the other one to appease the tension. "Easy, Granny. Let her speak."

Ruby gratefully glances at Robin, finding in his caring smile the strength to explain her decision. It wasn't an easy one to make, but she didn't decide this on a whim, and she has her reasons.

"Before Ruth was bitten, we had time to talk. I told her how I felt, that despite Akela's help, I couldn't exactly find where I truly belonged, nor who I  _really_  am. I'm either Ruby, the person you know, or a ruthless wolf I still struggle to control. But I am not both. I am not  _one_."

The brunette pauses, breathing out slowly, her voice thick with emotion. When she learned about the werewolf inside her, she discovered freedom, but also found herself locked in an inescapable prison. She hopes that by focusing on herself instead of on not hurting others, she will find the peace of mind and acceptance she's longing for.

"I'm tired of this constant conflict inside me. When I mentioned it to Ruth, she suggested something... Something she knew you wouldn't like." Ruby's teary eyes are set on Granny, who looks as if her world is going to fall apart. "But she was right, and in order to honor her, I have to do it." She takes a deep breath. "I am leaving to travel the world, and to embrace the wolf within me, until we become one. I want to be able to use my abilities anytime I need them, naturally, not to hurt but to  _help_  people. And I can't do that here, where I risk hurting you."

Tears are falling down Snow White's cheeks, so Ruby wipes them with the back of her finger gently.

"Don't cry. I'm not saying goodbye forever. I  _will_  come back. I'll just come back stronger, and as someone who knows and accepts herself fully. I will be back as a woman you can be proud of," she confesses to Granny, who shakes her head and wraps her arms around her granddaughter's shoulders.

"I'm already proud of you, Ruby." She pulls back, sniffles, cups the girl's cheeks and brushes them with her thumbs. "And I understand. If this makes you happy, then you have my blessing."

Ruby finally allows herself a real smile, squeezes Granny's hands tightly. The two women falling silent, staring in each other's eyes, taking a moment just for themselves.

When she's ready, Ruby faces the royal couple. "I'm sorry, I will miss your wedding."

David takes her hand and squeezes. "Knowing that you're following the path you chose is enough satisfaction to make us accept your absence. Take care of yourself, Ruby."

Snow White doesn't speak, her glassy eyes are enough words, but she hugs her friend tightly, unwilling to release her at first, but eventually pulls back with a wry smile. She takes a deep breath and turns her smile into a wide and honest grin. "Be happy."

Ruby watches her with equally emotional eyes. "I promise."

xxx

Two years later

"Regina?"

The brunette turns to face her sister and Leanne who join her on the practice field. The class is over, so she hangs her quiver to a tree, and meets them halfway.

"Hey! Did you have a nice trip?"

The two women just arrived from their weekly visit to the Queen's castle to check on Snow's pregnancy.

Years ago, after Regina's first delivery, Zelena had a talk with Leanne about her role as a midwife. The woman's passion led to an animated discussion that ended with Zelena admitting that she'd love to be able to do the same thing and bring people so much joy. It took off from there. Leanne enthusiastically offered Zelena to accompany her to see some pregnant women and help her during deliveries, and not only did Zelena tremendously enjoy herself and fall in love with the job, but she also showed to be extremely competent in it.

After two years, she was capable of taking care of a pregnancy from beginning to delivery without Leanne's help, an ability that allowed her to slowly be known amongst the kingdom, which had people specifically asking for her services.

Zelena didn't quit her position as a teacher in the camp's school, though, she instead worked with Vanda to create a schedule that allowed her to get enough free time to visit her patients.

So when Snow White discovered that she was pregnant, logically she asked Zelena to be her midwife, to which the redhead happily agreed. Except that, just a month later, Zelena found out about her  _own_  pregnancy. Torn between the determination to keep helping the Queen and the knowledge that at some point her current state would be an obstacle to do her job properly, Zelena decided to ask Leanne for her assistance, but not without first discussing it with the Queen. Ever since then, they've worked together, allowing Snow and David to get accustomed to Leanne.

"Yes. Everything was fine. Snow's pregnancy is going well," Zelena informs Regina.

"And David is completely in love with their unborn child," Leanne adds with an amused tone. "It's really touching to watch him interact with it."

"They'll be great parents," Regina confirms and smiles broadly. She went to visit them last month, and the two were glowing, ecstatic about Snow's pregnancy. "When do you think the baby will be born?"

Zelena shrugs. "In two months at most."

"Do you think you'll still be able to keep going there once a week by then?"

Regina tilts her chin towards her sister's belly of six months, and Zelena tenderly cups the curve of her stomach, smiling.

"I hope so. Anyway, Leanne is here if things become too difficult for me. Snow adores her, she won't mind if I'm not the one who delivers her child."

She winks at her friend as the three women take place at the large tables near the fire, enjoying their last moments of peace before the children exit school.

Robin arrives from work just after school is over, and he immediately takes care of Dawn's homework before her daily archery lesson. The now ten year-old girl is more focused on learning how to become a proper member of the Merry Men than on school, so her parents are being careful, closely following her studies. Matthew helps every time he visits them, and Little John does too, which makes things much easier as Dawn usually shows more enthusiasm to studying with her brother and godfather than with her parents.

Regina gives her attention to her twins, who happily tell her everything that they learned and did this afternoon with Helena, while Leanne cuddles her two-year-old daughter, Abby. Connor is next to her, the now young teenager working on his homework before his Quaterstaff's lesson with his father.

When she initially came to the camp, first for Regina's pregnancy and then for Zelena's training as a midwife, Leanne slowly became acquainted with everyone. Eventually she grew closer to Little John, the two having suffered a severe loss during the war. Time and long conversations at night helped heal their wounds, until Cupid worked his magic. If Little John's fear was mostly regarding Connor, Regina took it to heart to help the boy through accepting the situation and Leanne's new role in his life, but most importantly, his father's. Although he stays closer to Regina and seeks her out more often than he does Leanne, the birth of his little sister, Abby, two years ago, strengthened his relationship with his stepmom.

"Hi, R'gina!" The brunette looks up from her children to meet Jonas, who still lives at the camp despite his work as a teacher with Matthew and Jenna, and his recent engagement with a young woman from Rotterhammer. "Hi Leanne!"

Regina smiles affectionately at her nephew. "Hey, Jonas! How was your day?"

"Good, thank you. Do you know where my mom is?"

Regina points at Zelena's tent. "She's in there with your brother. You know that Nathan needs a quiet environment to properly study, otherwise he gets distracted every other second."

"Right! Thanks!" He starts to walk away, but stops and turns around. "By the way, Matthew and Jenna will spend tomorrow night here with Lily."

Regina's smile grows wider at the thought of her oldest son and his family. The mention of Matthew's name has Evan and Lena excitedly looking up from the game they'd just started.

"Matthew coming?" The boy exclaims happily.

"Yes, little guy," Jonas confirms. "You'll see your big brother tomorrow."

Ethan shrieks excitedly, Regina tampering it in regard for Connor (how the boy manages to study in such a noisy environment is still a mystery to her). "We are impatient to see them, Jonas. Thank you for telling me."

And with a nod, the young man rushes in direction of his mother's tent.

"Regina?"

The two women's attention is caught by Connor's voice, the boy frowning over his book and biting the edge of his pen.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I can't find the solution to this problem."

Leanne doesn't take offense in his choice to ask Regina instead of her. She knows the role her friend has always played in the boy's life, she knows Regina will always come first, and she fully accepts it.

Regina gets up, advising the twins to play quietly, knowing that Leanne will handle them if necessary, and sits next to Connor.

"Alright, tell me where you're stuck."

xxx

A few hours later

"Alright, my little thieves! You're all set, now it's time to sleep," Regina declares quietly, tapping on the twins' mattress.

"Can you tell us a bedtime story, mommy?" Lena requests while crawling under the covers.

Regina looks up at her ten year-old daughter snuggled in Robin's embrace and smiles at her tenderly.

"What do you say, Dawn? Are you too old to listen to your mother's bedtime stories or not?"

Her daughter, despite her usual sweetness, has recently showed rebellious tendencies, beginning to claim a premature independence, one her parents refused to give her given her young age and reckless temper. It ended with Dawn running away to the forest, only to be found hours later, snuggled in Tinkerbell's arms, asleep. The fairy explained to Regina and Robin that she felt Dawn's distress, so she came to her, both to make sure that she was and would remain safe, and to understand what was going on.

She advised the couple to have a talk with their daughter, to  _listen_ to her without interrupting her. So they did. They learned that, despite her profound love for her family, Dawn's free spirit and magic were pushing her towards an intense need for freedom and escape. That sometimes, she felt  _suffocated_  at home. That since the twins' birth, she felt less heard and understood.

That's when they realized how much Dawn and Regina resembled one another, and that being firm wasn't always the best solution. So they compromised, allowed Dawn more freedom, more time to practice her magic (something that they had left aside when she'd started school) and also, at her request, and with Matthew and Jenna's agreement, a night spent every week at her brother's house.

Since that fight, Regina and Robin have been more careful, unwilling to upset their daughter in that way again. However, they have to admit that their relationship with her has clearly improved since they gave her the attention she requested, and even discovered that they too needed more time with her. They hadn't realized how the long talks they used to have with Dawn had become less frequent, almost nonexistent over the last few months. And yes, while Dawn running away back then broke their heart, it also opened their eyes to something they hadn't seen, allowing them to fix a problem they'd missed and bring back their daughter's radiant smile, that had slowly began to fade.

Dawn leaves her father's arms and walks to her mother, taking the hand she holds out for her. "Of course not, mom. You know I love your stories."

Regina brushes the side of Dawn's cheek softly, gazing into her deep blue eyes.

"My beautiful girl. You know all my stories. Is there one in particular you'd like to hear tonight?"

Dawn blushes and glances between her parents, Robin taking place next to Evan, who uses the occasion to snuggle further in his arms, while Lena stares at her sister expectantly.

"My favorite one," Dawn decides. "The story of how you and dad met."

" _Yay_!" Lena clasps her hands together happily. "A love story!"

"Ah!" Robin chuckles knowingly. " _That_  one!"

"It's an amazing story, dad!" Dawn exclaims with excitement. "It's about adventure, fighting, living in the forest, falling in love! That's exciting!"

"You're not entirely wrong, Dawn," Regina replies as she helps her daughter climb onto her lap. Settling everyone comfortably on the large bed, Regina wraps an arm around Dawn's waist when the blonde girl leans against her chest and rests her head on the crook of her neck. "Our story is indeed made of all of that. But, overall, what led me to your father, my sweethearts, initially began, as a  _journey to freedom_."

 

The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note : The huntsman's wolf's name might sound familiar to some of you, as Akela is the leader of the wolf pack in The book of the Jungle. One last reference to Disney's universe.


End file.
